Orlando baseball effort says it has secured $1.5 billion to bring Tampa Bay Rays to Central Florida

Orlando’s ongoing effort to lure the Tampa Bay Rays or perhaps a Major League Baseball expansion team to Central Florida gained major traction Thursday with the announcement that $1.5 billion in funding has been pledged to attract an MLB team and build a new stadium. The announcement was made by the Orlando Dreamers — an organization started by late Orlando Magic co-founder Pat Williams to …