The governor’s comments at a bill signing in Apopka came as investor groups increasingly push to be frontrunners in a yet-to-be-announced sale of the Tampa Bay Rays or an MLB expansion.
The Orlando Dreamers, armed with a $1.5 billion cash injection from high-profile investors, have said they plan to self-finance their stadium and have not indicated any desire to request state funding for the project.
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MLB does require a public-private partnership when considering moving a team to a new city, but that partnership could take many forms, such as upgrades to a nearby road.
The Dreamers have said they’re flexible and DeSantis added that the state would not be above chipping in for roads and highway exit ramps around any new stadium.
He took minor shots at both the MLB and the Rays’ current owner as he relayed a supposed promise from the MLB leaders that they’re not interested in moving any of Florida’s three teams to another state.
“It’s the third largest state in the country,” he said. “To have a major league team leave like that is not something we want, obviously, but actually it’s bad for the league. It makes baseball look poorly that they couldn’t hack it in in really big markets.”
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On the Rays, he indicated he expected the team to sell at some point, but said he would stay neutral between Orlando and Tampa.
“The goal would be — if there’s a new owner — to then have an ability to do a stadium in a place that would be economically viable,” he said, referencing The Battery near the ballpark of the Atlanta Braves.
“I think you can do it. I absolutely think it can work… People go because there’s bars and restaurants and shops and stuff like that, and they really made it an experience for folks, and so that, I think, is the goal.”
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