Florida may upgrade spring training venues

TALLAHASSEE, Fla., March 1 (UPI) -- In an effort to keep Major League Baseball from leaving Florida for Arizona, Gov. Jeb Bush might be willing to help upgrade spring training venues.

"I'm concerned about whether funding of sports franchises should be in front of the line, when we have these other important needs ... Medicaid being clearly one, public education, our university system, all of those issues to me are more important," Bush said. "In a year of abundance, though, this may be the year to provide some support. We'll see."

It's estimated that Florida might enjoy a budget surplus of $4.5 billion -- mostly from the state's strong real estate market and a boom in sales tax collections as a result of post-hurricane rebuilding, reported the South Florida Sun-Sentinel Tuesday.

Last week, Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano formed a Baseball and Softball Commission with the goal of expanding spring training.