Orlando City made it clear on Monday that their MLS expansion dreams will not die with the bill that failed to pass the Florida House of Representatives last Friday.
House Bill No. 7,127 would have helped provide key funding for a soccer stadium in downtown Orlando, but it never made it up for vote in the final day of the legislative session although it had passed the Florida state senate just days prior.
But Orlando City club president Phil Rawlins on Monday issued the strongest statement yet that he will continue the push for MLS expansion.
"The MLS is going to happen here in Orlando," Rawlins told a local media outlet, according to the club's official Twitter feed. "We're not going to let one hurdle deter us from bringing MLS in Orlando."
Rawlins took it a step further, stating that the club aims "to have an alternative funding plan in place by the end of May to keep on our timeframe of MLS."
Reports indicated that the bill would have helped provide up to $30 million for the stadium project.
