JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Jaguars fans have one last chance to get their questions answered about the proposed billion dollar “Stadium of the Future” deal and the taxpayers’ portion of the agreement.
The final community huddle is at 6 p.m. at Westside High School on Firestone Road.
People gathered for a community huddle Wednesday night at Sandalwood High School, and opinions were strong from people for and against the plan.
“The Jaguars have been shafting us for 30 years, and they’re going to continue doing it for another 30 years,” Josh Dickerson said. “Taking more and more money through an insidious tax that takes from the lowest class to give to the millionaires in the NFL.”
But Barbara Nelson argued in favor of the plan.
“We need to keep (the team) here but there are some changes that could be made for surrounding areas to help us with the burden. They reap the benefits. They should also have some of the responsibilities,” Nelson said.
The latest version of the deal ensures the Jaguars would stay in Jacksonville for years, and that they would have to reimburse the city if they leave before the 30-year lease is up.
News4JAX news partner the Jacksonville Daily Record reported that the agreement also allows the city to go after the Jags for the cost of demolishing the stadium should the team relocate.
The overall cost split between the city and the Jaguars remains $625 million each toward construction. The city would also put up an additional $150 million for maintenance, renovation prep and to make the stadium usable by the team during construction.
Outgoing City Council President Ron Salem says the goal is to vote by June 25.
But before that, the Jacksonville City Council will hold workshops to discuss the parts of the deal they’ll be voting on. In addition to parking and security, the city council workshops will look at the lease agreement between the city and the team, how the arena will be managed, and also the naming rights.
Nothing is a done deal because the council still has to sign off on it, but if it goes through, the stadium as we know it will look very different and the Jags will be playing on artificial turf instead of grass.
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Mike Weinstein, the city’s chief negotiator, said he doesn’t expect a lot of pushback from the city council.
“Basically, it reflects what we’ve been talking about. It just takes a long time to get it to where you think of everything that could possibly happen over the 30 years, and try to resolve it in the document rather than having it resolved at the time. And that’s what lawyers are doing,” Weinstein said.
The most controversial part of the agreement is the community benefits agreement that calls for the city to spend $150 million outside the stadium on parks and the Eastside neighborhoods and calls for the Jaguars to give an equal amount over the same years of the lease.
Council member Rory Diamond has stated that he plans to vote against that portion.
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Overall, Jaguars President Mark Lamping said he’s been pleased with the process and looks forward to the council’s vote in late June.
“We’ll do everything we can from our perspective to advance the debate and the discussion around the legislation,” Lamping said.
If the council approves the plan this summer, the NFL owners will then vote on it in October.
