Dreamers not alone: Others this year sought to bring MLB to Orlando, said mayor
The Orlando Dreamers, the well-known baseball effort spearheaded by the late Pat Williams, was not the only player trying to bring Major League Baseball to Central Florida this year, revealed Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings.
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Demings, during his June 6 State of the County address, said that he has been approached by other entities interested in bringing Orlando a team. This is the first time the county revealed additional groups were making moves simultaneously as the Dreamers — which Williams started in 2019.
Demings did not identify the other groups and was unaware of whether they were still active.
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Dreamers' control ownership group was not surprised by announcement. Nothing changes for the Orlando MLB initiative as the Dreamers continue moving forward to the next phase in their process of bringing Major League Baseball to Orange County. ORLANDO, FL / ACCESS Newswire / June 19, 2025 / The Orlando City Baseball Dreamers ('Orlando Dreamers'), fresh off the first public appearance of team leadership on June 16 at the International Drive Chamber of Commerce luncheon with record attendance and media coverage, today responded to an announcement that the Tampa Bay Rays are in discussions with a group interested in potentially buying the team. Barry Larkin, the MLB Ambassador for the Dreamers, confirmed that the media reports indicating the Rays were in discussions with a possible buyer group did not come as a surprise. 'We have been aware of various groups indicating interest in potentially acquiring the franchise. 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