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The Portland Pirates are relocating from Maine to Massachusetts.The team, which is affiliated with the Florida Panthers, is moving to Springfield, according to Portland city officials."The Portland Pirates have announced that a letter of intent has been signed with an outsider buyer to purchase and relocate the AHL franchise to a new city," Digital Marketing and Media Relations Coordinator Whitneigh Kinne said in a statement.Kinne said details about the sale have not been disclosed as it needs approval from the AHL Board of Governors and the Florida Panthers.“We have a very diverse economy in Portland. Something like this happening is not going to put us under. There’s no question about that, but something like this happening will have a ripple effect,” Portland mayor Ethan Strimling said.All tickets for the 2016-2017 season will be refunded, Kinne said.For fans, the buyout comes as no surprise.“As far as I last saw, attendance was a little lackluster,” said Emerson Doty of Portland.Springfield wants a team to fill the void expected to be left by another AHL franchise, the Springfield Falcons. The Arizona Coyotes plan to move the Falcons to Tucson, Arizona.The Pirates have been in Portland since the team's creation in 1993. The team has changed NHL affiliates several times in recent years.“They had a buyout clause. They’re going to exercise their buyout clause. Maybe next time we’ll look at a stronger buyout clause that might have a better financial impact for us,” Strimling said.Cumberland County will now be looking for a new major tenant after spending taxpayer dollars to renovate the Cross Insurance Arena in 2013.“This is not just a private business that’s up and leaving,” Strimling said. “Tens of millions of dollars of public money went into this facility under an agreement that this team is going to be here.”“Especially during winter, it’s predominantly Portland Pirates. So for them to leave and not have a replacement backup kind of seems like a waste,” said Kevin Kelly of Portland.The Cross Insurance Arena Board of Trustees will gather Thursday morning for a special meeting. It’s unclear if the Pirates move will be discussed.The Pirates' Facebook and Twitter accounts were both closed Wednesday.The Pirates were preceded in Portland by the Maine Mariners, who played in the city for 15 years.