Florida Governonr Ron DeSantis is opening up his state to all sports leagues and teams amid the COVID-19 pandemic. In a press conference Wednesday, he made it clear that Florida will welcome teams from other states.
DeSantis: ‘We know it can be done safely’
Here’s video of DeSantis saying that Florida is inviting any sports league and its teams to the state. He also said, “we know it can be done safely.”
“All professional sports are welcome here for practicing and for playing,” DeSantis said. “What I would tell commissioners of leagues is, if you have a team in an area where they just won’t let them operate, we’ll find a place for you here in the state of Florida.”
The governor continued, saying “We want to have you here. We want to have the basketball practicing again. We would love to have the Major League Baseball.”
UFC 249 took place in Jacksonville on Saturday and was a huge financial hit for ESPN and the legal betting market. We also know that Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fla. is being considered to host the NBA if it does come back this season.
Clearly, Florida is setting itself up as the place to be for sports leagues. Meanwhile, other states like California are going the opposite direction — at least for now.