RCA Telegram News California - Orlando Now #15 Media Market in the Country, Passes Minneapolis-St. Paul in Rankings

The Orlando City Baseball Dreamers ("Orlando Dreamers") announced that Orlando has passed Minneapolis-St. Paul in the U.S. media market rankings and is now the #15 market in the country with an estimated 1,902,420 TV homes. The city had previously topped Miami and Denver in recent years. In 2022, Pat Williams, the iconic Co-Founder of the Dreamers, predicted that the Orlando media market would be in the top 15 markets by 2025.

According to Jim Schnorf, Co-Founder of the Orlando Dreamers, "Pat was a visionary in seeing the potential of the Orlando market for professional sports at a very early stage. Subsequent to retiring from the Orlando Magic, the team he boldly founded in the latter part of the 1980s, Pat saw the opportunity for Major League Baseball to flourish in Central Florida. He also envisioned the Orlando market topping Detroit in media market size by 2026. We are now within 38,000 TV homes of that happening, and once again, he was right on target with his prediction." Schnorf, who has been overseeing all the financing and ownership structuring of the prospective MLB team and stadium, is confident Orlando will have an MLB franchise this decade as the Dreamers' initiative continues following the unexpected passing of Williams in July.

Andy Herdliska, the longtime right-hand man to Williams, who is responsible for sales, marketing, and sponsorship for the Orlando Dreamers, further highlighted the positive attributes of the Orlando area. "Tourist Development Tax (TDT) revenues again set a record for fiscal year 2024, at almost $360 million, topping the budgeted level by approximately $4.5 million," said Herdliska. "With the opening of the new major Universal Studios theme park in spring 2025, we anticipate record years for fiscal 2025, 2026, and beyond for TDT proceeds. We see no end in sight to the meteoric growth being experienced in Central Florida."

Schnorf also commented on the recent delay in approving the issuance of bonds to assist in the public financing of a new Rays' stadium in St. Petersburg, stating, "We have had a very significant number of inquiries in recent days regarding the Rays' stadium situation and its impact on the Dreamers' initiative to bring Major League Baseball to the Orlando area. Commissioner Manfred has again acted with prudence in stating that MLB is giving the Rays through the 2025 season to have a final resolution to their stadium situation. While the delay in issuing the bonds is economically very detrimental to the team, the city of St. Petersburg and Pinellas County are dealing with substantive unexpected expenditures and reduced near term revenues from the devastating impacts of two recent hurricanes. The Dreamers will not interfere in the effort of the Rays, or of any other franchise, that may be seeking stadium financing. Having said that, we have always taken the position that if approached by any franchise interested in relocating and/or selling, we are happy to confidentially discuss the incredible attributes of the Orlando market and of our proposed 35.5 acre domed stadium site, right in the middle of almost 80 million annual tourists. As we've highlighted in previous press releases, Orlando is undeniably the top market in the country that currently does not have an MLB franchise. We are looking forward to working with Major League Baseball to bring a team to Central Florida this decade, whether through expansion or relocation. With the Pinellas County imposed deadline of December 1 for the Rays to make their intentions clear regarding the potential termination of the existing agreement for a new Rays stadium in St. Petersburg, the Orlando Dreamers continue to work with our partners to be ready for bringing Major League Baseball to the Orlando area, either through relocation of an existing franchise, or expansion. Given the competence and capability of our Orange County political leaders, and the strength of the local economy, we are confident they can provide an attractive public/private partnership stadium financing structure that benefits all stakeholders involved."

Herdliska further elaborated on the positive results Major League Baseball has been experiencing from the recent insightful changes approved by the Commissioner's office and team owners, stating, "Major League Baseball had increased attendance again in 2024, the highest in seven years. It is the first time since the 2011 and2012 seasons the league had increases in two successive years. Eighty percent of the clubs have increased their average attendance since the adoption of the new rules, with over 71 million fans attending games this year. Seven of the ten most watched days ever on MLB.TV occurred during the 2024 season. It's clear that MLB's initiatives are enjoying significant success. With our proposed domed stadium design and location in the midst of Orlando's tourist corridor, the Dreamers are supremely confident in drawing in excess of three million fans in our first year of play. With no marketing or social media, and with merely an initial press conference and at the time a rudimentary website, we immediately obtained requests from more than 15,000 local residents expressing interest in being season ticket holders."

The Orlando Dreamers previously reported that based on an independent study completed in 2023, bringing MLB to Orlando, playing in the planned domed stadium located on the 35.5 acre parcel adjacent to SeaWorld and the Orange County Convention Center, will yield approximately 25,000 permanent jobs and create in excess of $40 billion in economic impact to Orange County over 30 years.

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:
Dave Gentry
RedChip Companies
1-800-733-2447
[email protected]

SOURCE: Orlando City Baseball Dreamers, LLC

A.Taylor--RTC