Will time-share king Siegel buy Predators?
After nearly two months without an owner, the Orlando Predators may have found a buyer: Central Florida time-share tycoon David Siegel.
Neither the Preds nor Mariaelaina Santiago, executive assistant to the Westgate Resorts CEO, offered comment on a report in the Las Vegas Sun newspaper that Siegel will take over the Arena Football League franchise. But negotiations are ongoing between Siegel’s company and Orlando officials on a lease that would return the Preds to Amway Center.
“We are still very much negotiating with them,’’ City of Orlando spokeswoman Heather Fagan said. “We’ve sent draft agreements over as recently as [Tuesday]. We hope to have an agreement to bring to the City Council by the end of July or early August.”
The Preds played their home games at Amway Center from 2011-13 before defaulting on their lease. They have moved their games to UCF’s CFE Arena this season but have seen a drop in attendance.
Siegel, 79, would be the third owner in the past year for the Preds, who have been operating without ownership since managing partner David Pearsall left the team in May. Pearsall took over after former owner Brett Bouchy stepped down in July 2013.
Siegel and his wife, Jackie, were featured in the 2012 documentary “The Queen of Versailles,” which chronicled the family’s financial struggles while constructing the largest private house in the country, a 90,000-square-foot home on Lake Butler in Orange County.
The Preds (8-7) will host the Iowa Barnstormers on Monday night atUCF.