Arizona Tribune - The Orlando Economic Partnership Supports the Orlando Dreamers' Mission to Bring Major League Baseball to Central Florida

ORLANDO, FL / ACCESS Newswire / July 27, 2026 / The Orlando City Baseball Dreamers, LLC ("Orlando Dreamers" or the "Dreamers") announced today that the Orlando Economic Partnership (OEP), the economic and community development organization that works to advance Broad-based Prosperity®, officially lends their support to the Dreamers' efforts of bringing Major League Baseball to Orlando.

"We could not be more thrilled with the feedback we've received from the Orlando Economic Partnership," said Baseball Hall-of-Famer and Dreamers MLB Ambassador Barry Larkin. "The OEP shares our vision of using sports assets to support long-term regional competitiveness and quality of life, and their support is a clear signal to local government leadership that Orlando is ready for Major League Baseball."

The letter of support from the OEP follows the recent endorsements from the African American Chamber, the Asian America Chamber and Visit Orlando.

Additionally, a multitude of city, county and state leaders have chimed in with support for the Dreamers. Orange County commissioner Michael "Mike" Scott recently reaffirmed his endorsement of the Dreamers; State Representative and City of Orlando mayoral candidate Anna Eskamani offered her wholehearted support for the Dreamers; Orange County mayor, Jerry Demings, made clear in May that he supports bringing professional baseball to Orange County while speaking at the Visit Orlando luncheon during the National Travel & Tourism Week event celebrating the fact that the Orlando area attracted a record-breaking 76.7 million visitors in 2025; and in December when the MLB Winter Meetings were in Orlando, U.S. Congressman and Florida gubernatorial candidate Byron Donalds tweeted his support of Orlando as "the next great MLB city."

Dreamers' co-founder and COO, Jim Schnorf, put the Orlando Economic Partnership approval into perspective, "The OEP understands sports and entertainment play a meaningful role in regional economic development. Our project is about more than just baseball; it's about creating an attraction that operates 365 days a year. It is about using baseball to solve our biggest problems like transportation and housing, drive visitor spending, create jobs, bring people together, and contributing to a strong sense of community pride."

The show of support from the OEP follows the Orlando Dreamers' recently announced updated economic impact data from JLL, the major independent consulting firm. According to the updated study, bringing Major League Baseball to Orlando and playing in the Dreamers' designed stadium, along with other planned construction on the site, will generate for Orange County:

• In excess of 38,000 jobs during the construction phase

• More than 52,000 permanent jobs

• Economic impact over 30 years of more than $72 billion

• An average of an additional $32 million of annual Tourist Development Tax ("TDT") revenues

Meanwhile, tourism continues to surge, including meaningfully increased travel resulting from the 2025 opening of the Epic Universe theme park located a short distance from the Dreamers' preferred stadium site. The Orlando metro area, the most-visited destination in North America, welcomed almost 80 million tourists in 2025, and revenues from the Tourist Development Tax have set records for the most recent 14 consecutive months.

Additionally, Orlando is experiencing a growth boom according to the latest data from the U.S. Census Bureau. The city is the number one metro area in job growth, population growth and nominal GDP growth among the 30 most-populous regions. Orlando is the #15 media market in the country, having passed Miami, Denver, and Minneapolis-St. Paul in recent years. It is anticipated that Orlando will soon pass Detroit to become the #14 media market, the largest without an MLB team.

The full quote from the OEP

The Orlando region's recognition as one of the best places to live in America reflects decades of collaboration, innovation, and investment in our community. Maintaining that distinction is central to the aspirations outlined in the Orlando 2045 Regional Vision, which calls for a region that is globally competitive, economically diverse, and recognized as a place where people can thrive.

As our community looks toward the future, it is important to recognize that sports and entertainment play a meaningful role in regional economic development. Across the country, major sports organizations have helped drive visitor spending, job creation, investment, and national visibility, while contributing to a strong sense of place and community pride.

The conversation surrounding the Orlando Dreamers highlights the broader opportunity to explore how sports assets can support long-term regional competitiveness and quality of life, all core to the Orlando Economic Partnership's mission. Sports can be powerful contributors to the kind of dynamic, vibrant region envisioned for Central Florida in 2045, and for this reason the OEP supports the Orlando Dreamers' efforts to bring Major League Baseball to the Orlando region.

About Orlando City Baseball Dreamers, LLC

Orlando City Baseball Dreamers, LLC was founded by Pat Williams and Jim Schnorf to bring Major League Baseball to Orlando and Central Florida. Updates can be found at www.OrlandoDreamers.com and more information can be found at www.OrlandoDreamersTeamShop.com.

Contact

Andrew Herdliska
Orlando Dreamers
[email protected]

SOURCE: Orlando City Baseball Dreamers, LLC

View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire

N.Mitchell--AT