JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The agreement between the city and the Jacksonville Jaguars to renovate EverBank Stadium is expected to bring about major upgrades to the surrounding area like the Eastside and riverfront parks.
The new lease agreement with the Jags that the city council could approve next week was supposed to have $300 million in it just for that. That money is known as the Community Benefits Agreement (CBA).
MORE: City Council to vote on breaking part of $300M Community Benefits Agreement out of Jags stadium deal
It’s more than likely most of that money, not all of it, will be pulled from the official lease agreement and taken up later this summer. The $55 million that’s left will go to parks and another facility, the Flex Field at the stadium.
Metropolitan Park, which could really use some improvement, is one area that is going to receive some of the funding. But people in the park on Wednesday said they wonder if any changes are really going to happen.
The specifics of the park improvement plan have not been released.
The Shipyards East, where the USS Orleck and fire museum are located, will also receive some funding to finish projects like moving the Kid’s Campus playground.
Down the river, where The Jacksonville Landing once stood, crews have been doing work in what is now Riverfront Plaza. Under the CBA, more money will be put toward building that area out.
The discussion and votes on the proposal to fund just parks in the stadium deal instead of all the community benefits will take place Thursday morning at a special council meeting. The council members could review the entire $1.4 billion agreement for the stadium renovations and lease for the team. During that meeting, incoming council president Randy White said he will offer an amendment to include only the parks portion of the CBA funding in the stadium deal.
The move, which is being sold as a compromise, pulls some controversial parts from the stadium deal that could have created conflicts of interest for some voting council members.
Part of the issue is that several council members work for organizations that could receive some of the funding, so separating the $94 million for those projects out of the stadium deal allows the maximum number of council members to vote on it.
Here’s the plan as it currently stands:
- $50 million to countywide workforce development and affordable housing and homeless initiatives
- $30 million to Eastside economic development, affordable housing and mitigation of homelessness
- $14 million spread among council districts
- $8.76 million to the Flex Field in the sports complex
- $10.04 million to Riverfront Plaza on the old Jacksonville Landing site
- $24.7 million to Shipyards West Park on the downtown riverfront
- $12.5 million to Metropolitan Park
The Jags have committed at least $100 million for community development and may add $50 million more.
But there are those who say they’ve heard this all before.
“Oh, just they’re robbing Peter to pay Paul,” a man named Robert told News4JAX. “They’re taking funds out of things that have already been forecasted long, long ago. And they’re moving it to their new agenda.”
The final stadium agreement will be voted on next Tuesday and in October the NFL owners will also have to agree to the new lease agreement.