Dreamers ‘dream’ close to plate on MLB team

Image: Orlando Dreamers

The Orlando Dreamers, a group working to bring a Major League Baseball (MLB) team to Central Florida (US), are another step closer to the plate as they revealed two of the major investors helping bring baseball home to ‘The City Beautiful’ (Orlando).

‘mynews13.com’ stated that the Morgan & Morgan Law Firm founder John Morgan and the Heartland Dental Founder Rick Workman have both committed to helping fund the team’s goals with Workman serving as the “anchor investor”.

The Morgan & Morgan is an American law firm. Founded in 1988 by John Morgan it is headquartered in Orlando, Florida (US). While Morgan & Morgan was historically considered a firm focused on personal injury, medical malpractice and class action lawsuits it also expanded practices to other areas of legal services.

As a leading DSO, Effingham (US)-based Heartland Dental provides the supported dentists, the hygienists and the non-clinical team members with world-class non-clinical administrative support to help them achieve sustainable professional and personal growth.

‘mynews13.com’ further stated that the two have ties to Central Florida and they give the group ideal figures for the control ownership group.

The Orlando Dreamers Co-Founder Jim Schnorf says that with Morgan and Workman they have a better chance to supplement any other investments for the potential team and its domed stadium.

That planned stadium is set to be built on a 35.5-acre parcel of land next to Aquatica (water parks in Orlando) on the International Drive and near the Orange County Convention Center. The group says it is an ideal location for the local fans and the tourists.

The Orlando Dreamers say that a 2023 independent study revealed that the facility will bring about 25,000 permanent jobs and can create more than $40 billion in economic impact to the Orange County for more than 30 years and $26 million annual in tourist development taxes.

And with the Baseball Hall of Famer Barry Larkin already on board as the Major League Baseball (MLB) Ambassador the Orlando Dreamers believe adding Morgan and Workman to the helm gives them the freedom to bring in other investors and make their pitch for an MLB team here.

New York (US)-based the Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL) with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. The MLB is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada and is considered the premier professional baseball league in the world.

Schnorf says the next step for the group is to have an office in Downtown Orlando creating a more visible outreach to the community and the fan base and continue to prove to the MLB that Orlando is fully prepared for a major league team and that no other market can match that.

The former National Basketball Association (NBA) team Orlando Magic executive Pat Williams pitched the baseball team idea in 2023.

The Orlando Dreamers have secured nearly $1.5 billion in investor commitments to fund the acquisition of a team. Additionally, they are working to raise $1 billion for a proposed stadium near SeaWorld (a marine-themed park in Orlando). While they haven’t yet secured a team the group remains optimistic about their chances. Schnorf emphasized that the financing is a major milestone.

The Dreamers are still in the process of finding a Major League Baseball (MLB) team to bring to Orlando. The specifics of how they plan to secure an expansion team or if they will relocate an existing team, such as the Tampa Bay Rays, remain unclear. The timeline for the stadium construction near SeaWorld is also not fully detailed.
 

Big Picture View:

The effort to bring Major League Baseball (MLB) to Orlando is part of a broader push to expand the sport into new markets. Central Florida has long been a hotbed for sports enthusiasm but it has yet to secure a professional baseball team. This effort comes amid ongoing stadium issues for the MLB team Tampa Bay Rays making them a possible candidate for relocation. The Dreamers’ proposal could change the landscape of sports in Orlando and boost the City’s profile.

Schnorf shared his optimism, “I think it sends a signal to Major League Baseball, and as well as to the Orlando community, that we have accomplished the really key aspects of financing necessary to bring Major League baseball here to the Orange County.”

He also addressed the stadium situation in Tampa Bay stating, “We’re watching the situation over there very closely,” referring to the Rays’ struggles with finding a new stadium in St. Petersburg (City in Florida).

Concluded Schnorf, “We are confident Orlando is the best site for a Major League Baseball franchise going forward.”

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