The Orlando Dreamers‘ bid to bring Major League Baseball to Central Florida would generate more than 38,000 construction jobs, over 52,000 permanent jobs, and upward of $72 billion in economic impact for Orange County over 30 years, according to updated data the ownership group released Wednesday. The figures come from JLL, the consulting firm that produced the Dreamers’ initial economic impact study in 2023.

The projections are tied to a proposed 45,000-seat domed stadium on a 35.5-acre site at the intersection of International Drive and State Road 528, part of a roughly $2 billion team-and-stadium financing package. JLL’s updated study also estimates an additional $32 million a year in Tourist Development Tax revenue tied to the project.

Financing and Leadership

Dr. Rick Workman, founder of Heartland Dental, anchors the ownership group’s investment, while attorney and philanthropist John Morgan has committed up to $250 million. The Dreamers say they have secured non-binding letters of intent for more than $1 billion in additional stadium financing from institutional partners they have not named. Co-founder and Chief Operating Officer Jim Schnorf leads the group alongside the family of the late co-founder Pat Williams, philanthropist Jessie Eisner and Chief Marketing Officer Andrew Herdliska. Hall of Fame shortstop Barry Larkin serves as the bid’s MLB ambassador and player-relations partner.

Kansas City-based Populous is designing the domed venue, with Orlando-based C.T. Hsu + Associates serving as local design consultant.

Community Commitments and Timing

Ownership says the Dreamers, not Orange County, would cover the substantial majority of construction costs, even though the county would own the stadium. Schnorf said the group intends to direct team and stadium revenue toward transportation and workforce housing initiatives and to build lighted youth baseball and softball fields around the county. The county’s Tourist Development Tax Citizen Advisory Task Force is scheduled to hold its first meeting on July 21, 2026, to weigh in on how future TDT revenue should be used; the Dreamers say they’ll present further details to that task force. Updated stadium renderings are expected this summer.

The pitch leans on Orlando’s growth as a media market — it has passed Miami, Denver and Minneapolis-St. Paul in recent years and is on track to pass Detroit, which would make it the largest U.S. media market without an MLB team. Backers also point to tourism momentum following the 2025 opening of Universal’s Epic Universe near the proposed site; Orlando drew close to 80 million visitors in 2025, and TDT revenue has set records for 14 straight months.

Elsewhere in stadium development: Detroit City FC has already broken ground on its own team-financed venue, the 15,000-seat AlumniFi Field, part of a $198 million mixed-use project tied to community benefit commitments in southwest Detroit.

Stadium Fast Facts

• Location: International Drive and State Road 528, Orlando (35.5-acre site)
• Capacity: 45,000 seats, domed
• Estimated Cost: $2 billion
• Architect: Populous
• Local Design Consultant: C.T. Hsu + Associates
• Economic Impact Consultant: JLL
• Projected 30-Year Economic Impact: $72 billion+
• Projected Jobs: 38,000+ construction, 52,000+ permanent