JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The City of Jacksonville, together with the Jacksonville Jaguars, announced on Thursday plans to host five community meetings so residents can learn more and ask questions about the proposed deal to renovate EverBank Stadium.
Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan, Jaguars President Mark Lamping and the city’s lead negotiator Mike Weinstein will be at each meeting, with the first meeting set for May 15 at Mandarin High School.
The announcement comes a day after the city and the team announced an agreement has been reached between the two sides on how to finance the “Stadium of the Future.”
On Tuesday, city council members will get their first look at the deal. For now, the terms of the agreement, and how much taxpayers will be on the hook for, are being kept a secret.
Also unclear is how long the team will have to play elsewhere while construction continues — and where.
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 on Thursday. “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.”
Right now, the stadium renovations are expected to cost $1.4 billion, but how that would be split between the Jaguars and the city has not been released.
When talks first started nearly a year ago, it was thought the city would pick up the lion’s share of the cost. Now, that might not be the case.
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, 6-8 p.m.
- Legends Center, May 16, 6-8 p.m.
- Fletcher High School, May 20, 6-8 p.m.
- Sandalwood High School, May 29, 6-8 p.m.
- Westside High School, May 30, 6-8 p.m.