The Orlando Dreamers insisted Wednesday its plan to bring Major League Baseball to Central Florida remains on track despite the loss of its two biggest investors, Dr. Rick Workman and lawyer John Morgan.<\/p>\n
Jim Schnorf, the group\u2019s chief operating officer, said the Dreamers still have more than $1 billion in team acquisition capital under letters of intent, as well as more than $1 billion toward stadium financing under favorable terms.<\/p>\n
He said meetings with potential investors are already scheduled.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere will not be a challenge in replacing this capital, but we will be very methodical in assuring an ideal match for our group, Orange County and MLB,\u201d Schnorf said in a news release.<\/p>\n
ALSO READ: Orlando Dreamers lose top two investors, one to the Zalupski group buying the Rays<\/a><\/p>\n His organization has been pursuing a team to play in a 45,000-seat ballpark the group wants to build near SeaWorld in Orange County.<\/p>\n The Tampa Bay Rays have been a primary target, but not the only one.<\/p>\n Workman, previously announced as the \u201canchor\u201d investor, informed Dreamers leadership this week he would become a minority investor in the organization purchasing the Rays, according to Barry Larkin, the group\u2019s MLB ambassador.<\/p>\n In July, the group led by Jacksonville developer Patrick Zalupski agreed in principle to purchase the Rays from principal owner Stuart Sternberg for a reported $1.7 billion. The deal is expected to be finalized this month or by mid-October.<\/p>\n ALSO READ: Rays make a deal to sell to the Zalupski group with plans to stay in Tampa area <\/a><\/p>\n \u201cThis news came as a surprise to the Dreamers and was conveyed during a short call that included key people involved with our group,\u201d Larkin said. Workman \u201cbriefly shared his rationale for his decision and did not in any way suggest concerns about the quality or robustness of the Dreamers\u2019 initiative.\u201d<\/p>\n Schnorf surmised the Workman, 70, reached for the immediate chance of joining an ownership group in Florida \u201cinstead of waiting months or even a few years down the road before Orlando receives an MLB franchise.<\/p>\n Morgan, founder of the Morgan & Morgan law firm, had made a $250 million commitment to the Dreamers. He dropped out Tuesday after learning of Workman\u2019s decision, Larkin said.<\/p>\n