JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Jacksonville City Council -- and the community -- got a first look Tuesday night at the proposed deal the city and the Jaguars have reached to finance the “Stadium of the Future” renovations at EverBank Stadium.
Up to the meeting, the terms of the agreement, and how much taxpayers will be on the hook for, have been kept a secret.
The plan, which is the result of months of negotiation, was unveiled by Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan, Jaguars President Mark Lamping and the city’s lead negotiator Mike Weinstein.
The proposed deal, which is one the most expensive investments in city, lands at a 50-50 cost split of the $1.2 billion project.
“I hope it’s not a way to drive the ties out of the eastside to drive it out to bring in new ideas. I think it’s a great idea because the eastside is like Outeast; it’s like family. When one hurts, we all hurt. When one rejoice, we all rejoice,” Cadero Gibson and Tony Jones said.
The presentation to city council was the first step toward a finalized deal. City Council must still approve the plan, which could happen by this summer, and then NFL owners must agree to the plan, which might not happen until October.Titia Jackson owned Eva’s 1925 Sports Bar Grill Owner on the eastside for five years. She hopes the proposed deal with focus on community growth.
“I’m hoping that you can put money into the community but come and talk to the business owners, not just some coalition come and talk to us personally and see what we need on a personal level because everybody’s business is different,” Jackson said.
PLAN REVEALED: City, Jaguars agree to split $1.2 billion cost on ‘Stadium of the Future,’ invest more in downtown Jacksonville
In the meantime, the city and the Jaguars will host five community meetings so residents can learn more and ask questions about the proposed deal to renovate EverBank Stadium.
Deegan, Lamping and Weinstein will be at each meeting, with the first meeting set for Wednesday at Mandarin High School.
City Council President Ron Salem said he hopes councilmembers get the entire deal on Tuesday so the council and their consultant Michael Huyghue can get to work. Salem said there is no timeframe for when the deal could be finalized.
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“The key part is we have to get the final agreement, which we hope if it’s not Tuesday night, it will be soon thereafter. We have to have time for the auditors and Michael Huyghue to get into the document and understand it, then we can begin our hearings as the city council,” Salem told News4JAX on Thursday.
News4JAX has been told there is no deadline on the deal. Negotiators had hoped to have it all in place and approved by this summer and get the OK from the NFL in October to start construction early next year.
During that timetable, it’s likely Republican Councilmember Randy White will be the new council president.
“Everybody can speculate, but...I have not seen the deal,” White told News4JAX last week. “Of course, I think we need to move forward and have some type of agreement because the Jaguars certainly are good for the city and good for the entertainment world. But again, the biggest part of this upgrade is the price tag.”
As far as the upcoming “Stadium of the Future Community Huddles,” they are free and open to the public, with no registration required.
Here is the schedule:
- Mandarin High School, May 15, 6-7:30 p.m.
- Legends Center, May 16, 6-7:30 p.m.
- Fletcher High School, May 20, 6-7:30 p.m.
- Sandalwood High School, May 29, 6-7:30 p.m.
- Westside High School, May 30, 6-7:30 p.m.