JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A poll released Tuesday by the Public Opinion Research Lab (PORL) at the University of North Florida shows that most of the registered voters who responded support proposed renovations to EverBank Stadium but aren’t fans of the level of public spending on construction costs.
Of the 667 Duval County registered voters polled, 72% want the stadium deal to be put to a public vote.
In an open-ended question, respondents were asked their top priority for the investment of tax dollars in Jacksonville. The most popular response with 23% was infrastructure and roads, which was followed by education and schools with 19%, and public safety and police with 13%. Four percent of respondents said downtown revitalization, and just 3% said the stadium and the Jaguars.
“This is a bit of a departure from the standard ‘most important problem’ question,” said Dr. Michael Binder, PORL faculty director. “We wanted to frame this in terms of tax dollars, considering the public expenditures we’re facing, and I’m not at all surprised that stadium renovations are nowhere near the top of the list.”
There are two parts to the “Stadium of the Future” deal. Taxpayers would be on the hook for $775 million for stadium renovations, and another $125 million would go toward community development -- both near the stadium and countywide -- to address affordable housing, homelessness and parks.
When the respondents were asked specifically about spending the $775 million on stadium renovations, a solid majority, 58%, said they opposed the agreement, while 41% expressed support.
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There was much stronger support, however, for spending the $150 million on community development -- with 81% in support and 17% opposed.
Some of the community money would be invested in initiatives on the Eastside, where Vickie Simon lives.
She said she thinks there are better uses of taxpayer money than the Jags stadium.
“I think the money needs to be poured into the community. You know, let somebody else take care of that. We need it in the community, stuff that people don’t know about, we need education on voting, and what the community is, and what’s going on in our community,” Simon said.
But when added to stadium renovations, most respondents were still against spending a full $925 million dollars on the combined stadium renovations and community investment.
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Respondents identifying as Jaguars fans are much more supportive of the stadium agreement, with 66% supporting either strongly or somewhat, than those who did not identify as fans, who were 60% opposed.
“When we polled on this issue last fall, people placed a lot of importance on the benefit to the downtown area and surrounding communities, and that still seems to be the case here,” Binder stated. “Duval County voters just don’t want to foot the bill for stadium renovations, but that Community Benefits Agreement seems to have sweetened the pot enough for folks to go along with the entire deal.”
An overwhelming majority of respondents (72%) said they think the stadium renovation agreement should be put before the voters in the form of a referendum, with 27% saying it should not.
“This historic investment between the City and Jaguars responds to the feedback we heard during months of community huddles in 2023 and conversations over many years. The community benefits agreement is an integral component of the overall package providing a smart way to get long overdue key investments done now that will positively impact all residents,” the office of Mayor Donna Deegan said in a statement. “The respondents see the wisdom of making the city investment up front, which will pay dividends over decades to come. It locks in construction contracts before prices increase. The significant long-term financial support from the Jaguars will sustain these programs over time. It’s a win-win.
“We urge the Jacksonville City Council to approve this once-in-a-generation investment in raising the quality of life for everyone in Duval County without raising taxes.”
“Even though City Hall has made it abundantly clear that Jacksonville voters will not get the opportunity to weigh in with a referendum, over 70% of the electorate wants the chance to vote on this agreement,” Binder said.
More specifically, respondents were also asked about their feelings toward the investment of tax dollars in downtown development. More than a third (39%) said investing in downtown is crucial to Jacksonville’s growth and development, and 28% said they have some reservations, despite seeing the potential benefits. Nineteen percent of respondents expressed hesitancy, saying there are better uses for tax dollars, while 14% said they are firmly against spending public funds downtown.
“In a city where 70% of its residents either never go downtown or do so only a few times per year for leisure, I am stunned that so many people are committed to downtown investment,” Binder said.
Respondents were also asked whether they would support or oppose spending an estimated $1 billion of public funds on a new Duval County Jail away from the current location downtown, which will include better access to medical and mental health services. A strong majority expressed support of the expenditure for a new jail, at 73%, while 24% said they were opposed.
“If I was surprised at the amount of support for a new jail last fall when it was only estimated to cost $380 million (and I was), I’m dumbfounded now that support is even higher with a price tag at $1 billion,” Binder said. “I do suspect that large capital expenditures like this are going to need more aggressive funding streams going forward, and the potential for tax increases could pull down some of this support in the future.”
In an additional, hypothetical question, respondents were asked to choose between spending $775 million on stadium renovations to keep the Jaguars in Jacksonville or investing that money in other city priorities, such as a new county jail, infrastructure improvements or paying down the pension debt. Fifty-eight percent said they would invest in other city priorities, while 39% said they would spend it on the stadium to keep the Jaguars.
“This is obviously a purely hypothetical question, since we don’t get to pick and choose the way public funds are allocated,” Binder said. “But when it really comes down to it, if they had their way, most people would rather spend their tax money on something else besides the stadium.”
The Jaguars are currently holding a series of community “huddles” to answer questions and rally support for the stadium deal. The remaining two meetings are:
- Sandalwood High School, May 29, 6-7:30 p.m.
- Westside High School, May 30, 6-7:30 p.m.
