Arizona Tribune - The Orlando Dreamers Announce Several Additions to Its Advisory Boards

ORLANDO, FL / ACCESS Newswire / September 2, 2026 / The Orlando City Baseball Dreamers ("Orlando Dreamers" or the "Dreamers") announced today that several new members have joined its team through appointments to the Sports Advisory Board and Local Business Leader Board.

"Bringing Major League Baseball to a city is a total team effort, and we could not be more thrilled with our new, highly accomplished teammates who believe in the Orlando Dreamers mission," said Barry Larkin, the Orlando Dreamers MLB Ambassador. "We also applaud the political leadership in the city of Tampa and Hillsborough County for their bold vision in understanding the significance of MLB to a community. Completion of this first step in a long, complex process will hopefully result in being the catalyst to expedite the expansion phase."

For the Sports Advisory Board, the Dreamers added University High School alum and current Orlando resident Nick Goody who pitched for the New York Yankees, Cleveland Indians and Texas Rangers. Goody was known as a "strikeout king" and once recorded 19 strikeouts in a college game.

Additionally, the Orlando Dreamers added Dr. Daryl Osbahr to the Sports Advisory Board. Dr. Osbahr is the Chairman of Orthopedic Surgery for Rothman Orthopaedics Florida at AdventHealth. A renowned orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Osbahr is the Co-Chief Medical Officer for USA Baseball, Co-Medical Director for United States Tennis Association National Campus, Medical Director for the Junior Tennis Champions Center, and Medical Director for the PNC Golf Championship. He is also a Team Physician and/or Orthopaedic Consultant for the US Soccer Men's National Team, Orlando Magic, World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), Stetson University, Philadelphia Phillies, Professional Golf Association (PGA), and Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA).

For the Local Business Leader Board, the Orlando Dreamers added Florida Compass Group President & CEO Jose Fernandez, who has extensive experience in public financing, worked to bring Major League Baseball to Orlando and previously served as the chief of staff to Mayor Buddy Dyer.

Also joining the Local Business Leader Board is Modesto Alcala, Founder and CEO of Fork in the Road Hospitality, and a highly respected senior entertainment executive bringing 30 years of leadership experience to the Orlando Dreamers. Alcala has led transformative growth strategies for some of the world's most recognized brands and played a pivotal role in the global expansion of Universal Destinations & Experiences. As a senior leader, he helped shape a $1 billion global food, beverage, and retail portfolio spanning Universal destinations in Orlando, Hollywood, Osaka, and Beijing, including the transformation of CityWalk in Orlando, Hollywood and the most recent development of Universal Epic Universe.

The final addition to the Local Business Leader Board is Jay Jackson, who serves as Chairman and CEO of Abacus Global Management. Headquartered in Orlando, the rapidly growing publicly traded company is a global leader in data-driven asset management and creator of LifeARC™, a proprietary AI-powered lifespan modeling platform transforming the intersection of longevity and finance.

Orlando Dreamers' Co-founder and Chief Operating Officer, Jim Schnorf, said, "We are excited to add such distinguished leaders to our team as we continue to inform Major League Baseball of our ongoing progress. Orlando presents the most compelling case for expansion, and having these executives join our team at this time is just another indication that there is unmatched local support for our initiative."

The Orlando Dreamers have secured more than $2 billion on the baseball side for stadium construction and team acquisition, and are prepared to make the largest private investment in a publicly-owned stadium in MLB history.

The Dreamers also plan to dedicate hundreds of millions of dollars generated by on-site revenues over 30 years to community priorities like transportation improvements, workforce housing, public safety and other critical needs. Additionally, the Dreamers have pledged to build youth baseball and softball fields throughout Orange County and aim to build the first LEED Platinum certified professional sports stadium in Florida. The stadium complex is positioned to be a tourist destination designed to attract visitors 365 days a year.

In addition to the community benefits, the Orlando Dreamers presented updated economic impact data from JLL, the major independent consulting firm that completed the Dreamers' initial study in 2023. Key conclusions include the creation of more than 38,000 jobs during the construction phase, more than 52,000 permanent jobs, an economic impact on Orange County of more than $72 billion over 30 years, and an average of an additional $31.7 million in annual TDT revenue.

The Dreamers continue gathering significant local support. A letter of support from the Orlando Economic Partnership 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 mayoral candidate Chris Messina backed the Dreamers' proposal; 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."

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

Andrew Herdliska
Orlando Dreamers
[email protected]

SOURCE: Orlando City Baseball Dreamers, LLC

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