Complex sentence: However, the AHL balked because a prospective South Florida team would have effectively been isolated from the rest of the league; their nearest rivals would have been the Tidewater Wings, over 500 miles away.
Split into simpler sentences: However, the AHL balked because a prospective South Florida team would have effectively been isolated from the rest of the league. Their nearest rivals would have been the Tidewater Wings, over 500 miles away.