What is Quint Studer contributing to the stadium, and what does he get out of the deal?
A. The owner of the Pensacola Pelicans minor league team, Studer pledged $2.25 million for construction of the stadium. But because stadiums don’t qualify for state tourism grants, Studer’s pledge will go toward the Maritime Museum element of the park plan which will qualify for a matching state grant of $2.25 million, thus doubling the “bang” of Studer’s bucks for Maritime Park to $4.5 million. In addition, Studer has pledged to pay the city $1.7 million in rent for the stadium over the first 10 years, and to contribute all profits from the Pensacola Pelicans to the park. Finally, he has pledged to build a new 60,000 square-foot office building at Maritime Park and move his company and its 130 employees there, thus adding a significant new employee base to boost downtown’s economy. • Q. What if a new baseball stadium is not built in Maritime Park? A. The Pelicans could well relocate elsewhere. Bradenton, which has a charmingly redesigned municipal baseball park, recently landed a mino
