JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The head of Jacksonville’s Office of Sports and Entertainment said he’s working to fill the holes in the city’s events calendars after losing out on three sizeable local events, according to our news partners at the Jacksonville Daily Record.
Director Alex Alston told the Council Finance Committee that the office is facing a nearly $475,000 decrease in operating expenses. Part of it is driven by the loss of the “Sea & Sky Air Show” at Jacksonville Beach. The U.S. Navy Blue Angels told Jacksonville that the event wouldn’t happen this year because it “wanted to give another city a chance,” Alston told the Jacksonville Daily Record.
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Another reason for the drop in expenses is the loss of the Bethune-Cookman University football game. Alston said the economics of the event “just didn’t work” after last year’s game.
Related: Sea & Sky Air Show won’t take place at Jacksonville Beach in 2025
Elsewhere in the budget, the office removed $500,000 in funding for the annual Jax River Jams. Downtown Vision’s CEO said the series will not return next year which could mark the end of the series.
The finance committee did however restore a $35,000 contribution to Jacksonville Beach for an annual Fourth of July celebration. It also transferred $35,000 in funding from Mayor Donna Deegan’s sports and entertainment initiatives into support for Hispanic Heritage Month.
Click here to read more from our news partners at the Jacksonville Daily Record.