The state of Florida deemed professional sports to be an essential activity some time ago and Governor Ron DeSantis said on Wednesday that the state would welcome teams from other areas where things have not opened up in the same way.
Any team from another part of the country looking to set up temporary shop in Florida would need a place to play. On Thursday, University of Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin said he told DeSantis that the school would be willing to offer up The Swamp and other facilities to teams looking for a place to play.
“I reached out to remind him that UF and Gainesville have world-class health care facilities, an iconic football stadium, a state-of-the-art basketball arena and a brand new baseball ballpark within two hours of cities with professional franchises,” Stricklin said in a statement. “We’ve been receiving excellent guidance from our state and health care officials, and when those groups believe it is safe to host college and pro sporting events in Florida, we will be prepared to do so.”
The University of Florida campus is closed for in-person classes for the time being and it’s unclear if there would be a way to make things work for football come the fall if school is up and running in Gainesville.