Florida not among finalists for Little League regional

Not a single Florida city is among the finalists for relocation of the Little League Southeast Regional, which was held at Gulfport for the past 41 years.

Greenville, S.C.; Morganton, N.C.; and Warner Robins, Ga.; are the three finalists, Stephen D. Keener, President and Chief Executive Officer of Little League International, announced in a news release.

Eighteen cities in six states of the eight-state Southeast Region had submitted proposals to become the new home of the headquarters.

"The Little League International Board of Directors was impressed both by the proposals from all three cities, as well as each of the communities," Keener said in the release. "We're looking forward to working with each of them in the next phase in the selection. The process for finding a new home for the Southeast Region Headquarters site is moving along well."

The next step in the selection process is for Little League International officials to visit the three finalist cities. Little League expects to announce the new site for the Southeast Region Headquarters in early 2009.

Acting on an offer from Pinellas County Schools, Little League International sold the 12.8-acre Gulfport property earlier this year. The Southeast Region Headquarters, which will be occupied by regional staff until the end of this year, is the oldest of Little League's five regional offices in the United States.