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After Hurricane, Baseball Gives Area A Ray Of Hope

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By JACKIE BARRON

jbarron@wfla.com

Published: February 21, 2009

PUNTA GORDA - As a breeze blows across the Peace River giving downtown Punta Gorda an early sense of spring, a buzz about baseball generates a surge of excitement.

It's the kind of excitement expected to pay off at the cash register.

Punta Gorda is about 20 minutes south of the new Charlotte Sports Park, where the American League champion Tampa Bay Rays reported for spring training this week.

Although dozens of stores and restaurants operate just down the street, business owner Charles Wallace thinks Punta Gorda is poised to reap the benefit of the Rays.

"There are hotels, a bunch of great new restaurants downtown," he said. "Punta Gorda is really going through a renaissance much more than pretty much anywhere else on the coast. I think it's going to be a big boost for the whole community."

Wallace owns several restaurants in Punta Gorda. The red-brick clad River City Grill rates as one of the community's more popular establishments, with a regular crowd packing the cafe-style seating outside.

It dates back to pre-Hurricane Charley. Wallace just had opened for business when the storm turned into Charlotte Harbor in August 2004. The results were devastating; the downtown was decimated.

Wallace said it has taken every bit of the past four and a half years to get back on track.

"You can't downplay a direct hit from a hurricane, I'll tell you that," he said.

Becky Bovell, director of the Charlotte Harbor Visitor & Convention Bureau, said it's too soon to put a dollar amount on the Rays' presence.

"The first thing I expect is for it to create a major awareness of the area," Bovell said. "I mean we are not as well-known as some of our counterparts who have baseball teams."

She wants folks to remember the county for baseball, not the blue tarps that covered many roofs after Hurricane Charley.

The county hosted the Texas Rangers until the team pulled out in 2002. "There's just a general level of excitement in that we're getting baseball back," Bovell said.

Sitting at the South Miami Beach-style outdoor bar of his newest restaurant, Jack's, Wallace thinks the Rays already have started to deliver.

"Absolutely. I know my buddy is coming from Atlanta to see them play Boston, for example," Wallace said. "I got two other friends coming down. They're planning their trips around the Rays' games."

To sweeten the deal, the visitors' bureau also has started offering recreation packages featuring golf, fishing and other outdoor activities aimed at persuading day-trippers from the Tampa Bay area to stick around a little longer.

For information, visit www.charlotteharbortravel .com or call 1-800-652-6090.

News Channel 8 reporter Jackie Barron can be contacted at (813) 221-5708.

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