By JUSTIN FERGUSON
After months of speculation, the city of Orlando has confirmed an exact location for what it hopes will be the future home of a Major League Soccer franchise.
Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer told a local news station Wednesday evening that the city has purchased an area of land in the city’s downtown area for $8.2 million.
The land for the proposed $110 million soccer-specific stadium is a few blocks away from the Amway Center, the home of the NBA’s Orlando Magic, and Orlando City SC’s current home at the Florida Citrus Bowl.
“I can tell you with certainty that is where we would like to construct the stadium,” Dyer said. “That’s the perfect location. We have the parking already associated with the other facilities in the downtown area.”
The location of the proposed stadium is just a few blocks from Amway Center, where the Orlando Magic play, and about eight blocks from the Citrus Bowl, where Orlando City currently plays. You can see the Amway center on the right side of the above map, with the Citrus Bowl located on the left edge of the map (the red A icon is where the proposed soccer stadium will be built).
Records indicate that the land was purchased for more than four times its appraised value, but Dyer said that the city did not overpay for it.
If the stadium is built, Orlando City Soccer will reportedly pay $80 million to $100 million.
Under Florida law, MLB, NFL, NBA and NHL teams can get state funding for the construction of new stadiums. The state legislature is expected to decide on whether MLS will qualify for the same funding.