Arizona Tribune - Orlando Dreamers Achieve Significant Milestones in the Initiative to Bring Major League Baseball to Orlando

ORLANDO, FLORIDA / ACCESS Newswire / March 14, 2025 / The Orlando City Baseball Dreamers ("Orlando Dreamers") announced that two major remaining milestone objectives have been successfully addressed. Barry Larkin, the MLB Ambassador for the Dreamers, confirmed that an anchor investor for the control ownership group has been identified. "We are thrilled with the commitment made by our investor partner, which accomplishes a key remaining step in our initiative to bring a Major League Baseball franchise to the Orlando area. Our process all along has been to identify and bring on board "best of class" partners in every aspect of our process," he indicated. Larkin further stated that a letter of intent for a significant portion of stadium financing has been received, realizing another major milestone in the journey to fully position the unrivaled Orange County parcel targeted by the Dreamers as the top location for the next MLB franchise.

Jim Schnorf, Co-Founder of the Orlando Dreamers, elaborated further on the substantive progress achieved by the Dreamers. "Barry has been instrumental in getting our initiative to the next phase. His credibility and connectivity, as well as his shrewd analysis of the continuous activities and news in baseball, have been instrumental to the recent success of Orlando's candidacy to become an MLB location." According to Schnorf, "We now have a letter of intent towards financing our state-of-the-art, 45,000 capacity domed stadium right in the middle of the tourist corridor, where we will welcome approximately 80 million tourists this year. The financing structure will provide a minimum of approximately $1 billion towards stadium construction costs, under an arrangement that is highly attractive to Orange County government and citizens, team ownership, and Major League Baseball."

Schnorf also highlighted the significance of bringing an anchor investor in the control ownership group into the fold. "As referenced by Barry, it's paramount that we have the right fit for all key partners in our endeavor. We are extraordinarily pleased to have the ideal person with all the desired qualities joining this effort, including connectivity to Central Florida, which will allow us to supplement any necessary remaining control group investment that may be needed. There is significant interest from such prospective additional parties. Regardless of what the path is for acquiring an MLB franchise for the Orlando area, be it expansion or relocation of an existing team, getting this aspect of the process correct is critical. Even with the relocation of a franchise where an existing control owner wants to remain in place, there will be a need for some Central Florida area ownership to assure that all the necessary local enthusiasm and support is in place."

Andy Herdliska, who is responsible for sales, marketing, and sponsorship for the Dreamers, commented on these recent developments. "We are confident that the enthusiasm in the Orlando area for welcoming Major League Baseball is reaching a fever pitch. The Dreamers are receiving numerous inquiries on a daily basis from fans, media sources, investor prospects, and multiple other interested parties. It's clear that with our recent progress and unparalleled stadium location in Orange County, we will have the most outstanding baseball attraction for tourists and local citizens alike, 365 days a year."

Orlando is expected to welcome approximately 80 million tourists in 2025, with meaningful growth expected from the opening of the new Universal Studios theme park located a short distance from the Dreamers' proposed stadium site. The Orlando metro area is the most visited destination in the country and recently passed Denver to become the #15 media market in the country. It is anticipated that Orlando will pass Detroit in 2025 to become the #14 media market in the country, the largest without an MLB team.

The Orlando Dreamers previously reported that based on an independent study completed in 2023, bringing Major League Baseball to Orlando and playing in the planned domed stadium located on the 35.5 acre parcel adjacent to SeaWorld and the Orange County Convention Center will yield approximately 25,000 permanent jobs and create in excess of $40 billion in economic impact to Orange County over 30 years. In addition, the study concluded that the MLB initiative would generate an additional $26 million annually in tourist development taxes (TDT).

About Orlando City Baseball Dreamers, LLC

Orlando City Baseball Dreamers, LLC was established to bring Major League Baseball to Orlando and Central Florida. Updates can be found at www.orlandodreamers.com.

Contact:

Dave Gentry
RedChip Companies
1-800-733-2447
[email protected]

SOURCE: Orlando City Baseball Dreamers, LLC

View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire

R.Chavez--AT