Tampa spent years fighting to keep the Rays.
Now the Governor is telling them Orlando is ready to write a bigger check.
DeSantis didn't threaten Tampa – he gave them the truth about what happens if this deal falls apart.
The Man Working to Steal Your Team
John Morgan is a billionaire plaintiff's attorney and Democrat mega-donor who bankrolled half the progressive ballot initiatives in Florida for the last decade.
He's also a lead investor in the Orlando Dreamers – the group quietly positioning to land an MLB franchise while Tampa dithers.
Last week, Morgan went public.
He said the Rays are headed to Orlando if Tampa fails, and confirmed he's personally reaching out to ownership to make the pitch.
https://twitter.com/DarenStoltzfus/status/2054667359432909283?s=20
This isn't a rumor.
This is a well-funded political opponent of everything DeSantis stands for – actively working to take something from Tampa while the people who are supposed to protect it hold public hearings and commission studies.
The Orlando Dreamers already have Hall of Famer Barry Larkin as their MLB Ambassador, World Series MVP David Eckstein as their community advisor, and Orange County's public funding support lined up.
Democrat state Rep. Anna Eskamani – currently running for mayor of Orlando – has made landing the team part of her campaign platform.
This operation has money, names, and political will behind it.
What DeSantis Actually Said
DeSantis stood at Hillsborough College in February alongside MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred and said he wants the Rays in Tampa.
He's backed the project with FDOT road planning, state land support, and backing for a reimagined college campus.
He drew one clear line: the state won't write a direct check for the stadium itself, because he can't do it for Tampa without doing it for every city in Florida.
Everything around the stadium is on the table.
"I know Orlando wants it," DeSantis said this week. "They would plow a lot of money into this. There's no question Orange County would, and Charlotte would too, Nashville would."
https://twitter.com/GovRonDeSantis/status/2044786664585703697?s=20
Manfred told DeSantis the franchise was a "distressed asset" under prior ownership and that it would be "bad for baseball" if the Rays left Florida.
The league wants them in Tampa.
The Governor wants them in Tampa.
The team's new ownership – led by Jacksonville developer Patrick Zalupski – wants to build in Tampa.
The only people not moving are the fourteen elected officials at Tampa City Hall and the Hillsborough County Commission.
The Clock Local Politicians Are Ignoring
Rays CEO Ken Babby has one task right now: a non-binding commitment by June 1.
Not a signed contract.
Not a finalized bond structure.
A signal that Tampa and Hillsborough are serious.
Instead, council members are scheduling more public hearings.
Lynn Hurtak – running for mayor – says her mind is "definitively not made up."
https://twitter.com/FoulTerritoryTV/status/2054365948379853231?s=20
Bill Carlson – also running for mayor – says he'll decide after the last of the public hearings.
Harry Cohen says he "would love to vote yes" but isn't "absolutely convinced" yet.
These are politicians protecting their careers while a deadline burns.
Miss the 2029 construction window and the entire deal unravels.
The team goes elsewhere, and Tampa's council members get to keep running for mayor.
Why the Hesitation Isn't Crazy – But Still Has to End
Miami's Marlins stadium turned into a disaster that ended careers, and Tampa's skeptics have studied it.
Miami officials approved that deal in a vote taken after midnight in 2009, at the end of a meeting that ran nearly ten hours.
Taxpayers eventually faced a bill exceeding $2.4 billion across four decades.
The owner sold the team in 2017 for $1.2 billion in profit – having bought it for $158 million – and walked away clean.
Two Miami-Dade commissioners were recalled by margins of 88 to 12 percent.
So yes, asking questions about a billion-dollar public commitment is legitimate.
https://twitter.com/CryptidPolitics/status/2041243938611159080?s=20
Here's why this deal is different: the Rays' ownership is putting in more than $1.1 billion of their own money and covering all cost overruns.
Miami's owners covered less than 20 percent.
The public risk in Tampa is structured differently from the start.
And the alternative isn't simply "no stadium" – it's John Morgan writing a check to move your team while a Democratic mayoral candidate in Orlando makes it her campaign centerpiece.
What Happens in the Next Three Weeks
State Senate Appropriations Chair Ed Hooper said the Legislature won't move on state funding for Hillsborough College until Tampa and Hillsborough County finalize their end of the deal.
That money – estimated at roughly $150 million – is still on the table.
But it requires local action first.
DeSantis is term-limited.
His leverage in Tallahassee runs out when he does.
This deal has a Governor who wants it, a league that supports it, an owner willing to fund the majority of it, and a deadline that is not moving.
On the other side: a billionaire Democrat donor making lunch dates with Rays ownership, a fully organized Orlando bid, and fourteen local politicians waiting for one more public hearing.
Montreal lost the Expos while officials debated stadium terms.
Oakland lost the A's the same way.
Tampa is not immune to that history – and right now, they're writing a familiar first chapter.
Sources:
- Jesse Mendoza, "Gov. DeSantis says Orlando 'would plow a lot of money' into a Rays ballpark," Florida Politics, May 13, 2026.
- WUSF, "State money for Rays' stadium on hold until local pacts done, Senate budget chief says," WUSF, May 13, 2026.
- WUSF, "Baseball stadium proposal roils Tampa's political scene," WUSF, April 26, 2026.
- Florida Daily, "Tampa Bay Rays Stadium Uncertainty Revives Relocation Talk As Orlando Group Pushes For MLB Team," Florida Daily, May 2026.
- ABC News, "Florida's DeSantis and MLB commissioner support new Rays stadium in Tampa," ABC News, February 3, 2026.
