Billionaire attorney John Morgan says he plans to meet with Rays managing partner Patrick Zalupski to discuss moving the team to Orlando if a stadium deal falls through in Tampa.<\/p>\n
In an interview with WFTV-TV in Orlando<\/a>, Morgan said he remains in contact with Zalupski, the Jacksonville developer who led the investment group that purchased the Rays<\/a> last fall.<\/p>\n \u201cWe text each other from time to time,\u201d said Morgan, who is semi-retired and lives<\/a> much of the year in Hawaii.<\/p>\n \u201cSo, I’m back from Hawaii now. Patrick’s gonna come down,\u201d Morgan added. \u201cWe’re going to have another lunch and talk about it. I would still put my money up for baseball, but only in Orlando.\u201d<\/p>\n ALSO READ: Public has a say on the Rays’ stadium proposal during a Tampa City Council workshop<\/a><\/p>\n Morgan previously committed $250 million to an Orlando group pursuing the Rays until Zalupski\u2019s investors entered<\/a> exclusive negotiations with former owner Stuart Sternberg in September. The reported $1.7 billion sale closed in October.<\/p>\n At the time, Morgan said he remained interested in investing if the team ultimately landed in Orlando.<\/p>\n Since then, the Zalupski group has entered a memorandum of understanding <\/a>to build a $2.3 billion stadium in Tampa on property now used by Hillsborough College<\/a>. The Rays would pay<\/a> more than half the cost, while Hillsborough County would contribute $750 million and the city of Tampa another $250 million. Negotiations remain ongoing.<\/p>\n The Rays are pushing to open the stadium by the 2029 season. Their lease ends in 2028 at St. Petersburg\u2019s Tropicana Field, where the team has faced low-attendance issues throughout their 28-year existence. <\/p>\n Morgan said he believes Orlando would become the leading option if Tampa and Hillsborough fail to finalize financing.<\/p>\n ALSO READ: In reply to county, Rays push for May vote amid unresolved stadium funding issues<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cIt didn’t work in Tampa (St. Petersburg). It is not gonna work in Tampa again. It’s a mistake,\u201d Morgan said. \u201cBut I told Patrick, I said, \u2018If you move it to Orlando \u2026\u2019 \u201d<\/p>\n Morgan also said he recently discussed the Rays\u2019 situation with former Florida Gov. and U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist, who is running for mayor of St. Petersburg.<\/p>\n \u201cIt’s not necessarily a lock,\u201d Morgan said of the Tampa stadium effort. \u201cThey don\u2019t have the votes over there, and the Lightning want stuff and the Bucs want stuff.\u201d<\/p>\n Morgan previously said he declined an opportunity<\/a> to join Zalupski\u2019s Tampa-based ownership effort and would only invest if the team moved to Orlando, which he considers a better market for sports.<\/p>\n \u201cI’m in the game only if Patrick wants me back in the game, and only if they don’t get it in Tampa,\u201d Morgan said.<\/p>\n Rays CEO Ken Babby has said the team is talking only with Tampa and Hillsborough. However, in an April memo to county commissioners<\/a>, Babby said the organization would \u201cevaluate alternatives\u201d if negotiations failed to produce a deal that positioned the franchise for \u201clong-term success.\u201d<\/p>\n Hillsborough Commissioner Ken Hagan, who is part of the effort to bring the Rays across the bay, has long warned that Orlando remains a legitimate threat.<\/p>\n ALSO READ: Atlanta economist warns Tampa: Mixed-use districts don’t reverse dismal stadium math<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cI believe it\u2019s either going to be located at [Hillsborough College] or the team will be in Orlando,\u201d Hagan told WDAE <\/a>radio in January. \u201cIf a deal can\u2019t be reached here, that\u2019s where they\u2019ll end up.\u201d<\/p>\n Another interesting detail comes from Orlando\u2019s previous ownership effort. After Zalupski\u2019s group purchased the Rays and pledged to keep the team in the Tampa Bay area, Orlando \u201canchor investor\u201d Dr. Rick Workman became a minority investor in the Zalupski group.<\/p>\n