Will the Nationals stay or go? Brevard commission waits with bated breath

BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. — Brevard County commissioners are waiting to find out if the Washington Nationals will stay or go.

The team has until the end of the day to decide if they'll continue to practice at Space Coast stadium.

If the Nationals stay, it would be $29 million in initial investment.

The county says it would spend that money to renovate Space Coast stadium.

The county knows having a team in Viera brings in millions of dollars a year to the local economy.

Space Coast stadium is the spring training home of the Washington Nationals, at least for now.

The Major League Baseball team has a contract through 2017 but indicated earlier this year it might want to end that deal three years early and move the team somewhere else.

The stadium costs the county a million dollars a year to maintain and the county is concerned no team could mean the stadium will become a financial liability.

Earlier this year, the county promised to spend $29 million to renovate the stadium if the Nationals agreed to sign a new 20-year deal.

The county didn't just send that offer to the Nationals.

It sent the same packet of information to every major league team hoping another team might also be interested in moving to Viera.

A county study showed every year an MLB team is there, it brings $20 million to the local economy.

The county gave the Nationals a deadline for the end of the day Friday to notify the county of its plans.

The county said it has not heard anything one way or the other.

Eyewitness News learned one major league team responded to the county but that team said it had already signed a 30-year deal somewhere else.

One commissioner said he plans to call the Nationals Monday, if they don't hear anything Friday.

WFTV