Questions remain, but new Rays owner expected to be open to communication, true to his word
TAMPA - Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan says developer Patrick Zalupski was pivotal in securing a deal to build a new UF campus in the city.
"There's just so many things that he has done to help us succeed here in Jacksonville, so I'm really, really pleased to see him," she said. "Getting involved here with this."
His next project will dwarf any of the 35,000 single-family homes his company, Dream Finders Homes, has built since he founded it in 2008.
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Deegan says his company has created 600 local jobs, and that their developments have reshaped their city.
His assignment in Tampa Bay will be to not only run a multi-billion-dollar sports franchise, but to build a home for it.
After failures on both sides of the bay by previous ownership groups, he is thought to be looking first in Tampa.
The first question is where. The second is how much public money he'll ask for.
The backstory:
Forbes lists his net worth as $1.6 billion.
The Rays are valued by Forbes at $1.25 billion.
"I can tell you that in dealing with him, he has been very open to discussion," said Deegan.
He has had a nose for sports, going to Jaguars games to give money to families for new homes.
And, he has a nose for politics, with his friendly history with Gov. DeSantis, including as a fundraiser, earning him an appointment to UF's board of trustees.
"He's a handshake deal kind of guy," said Hillsborough County Commissioner Ken Hagan. "And so I. I'm looking forward to sitting down and really getting to work on a future ballpark in Tampa."
What's next:
He will be joined in the ownership group by fellow UF board member and masters golf tournament chair Fred Ridley, Dex Imaging CEO Dan Doyle Jr., and a host of colleagues in the development business.
Can they do what two previous ownership groups haven't?
"The fact that the localized owners that are part of it are really going to be an indication of their passion for Tampa and how they want to remain in Tampa," said Hagan.
Since news broke about his potential purchase of the team, Zalupski has said almost nothing publicly.
The FTC is expected to approve the sale in the coming days.
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The Source: Information for this story was provided by FOX 13's Evan Axelbank.
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