Tag: City of Jacksonville

Donna Deegan: Hopefully stadium deal framework will begin this month

Donna Deegan says the next meeting between city representatives and the Jaguars will “hopefully start to set a framework” of a stadium deal.

Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan says negotiators representing the city and the Jacksonville Jaguars have met just twice regarding a massive renovation of EverBank Stadium, but she’s hopeful their next session will begin the process of drawing up details for a potential agreement.

“The third meeting will happen sometime before Thanksgiving and hopefully start to set a framework for the agreement,” Deegan told Jim Piggott of News4Jax this week. “We’re still months away from this, Jim. Hopefully, after the next meeting we’ll start to get a framework and, hopefully by early spring, we’ll be having a better idea of what we’ve got.”

Earlier this year, the Jaguars laid out their vision for a huge project to reconstruct their home stadium with an expected price tag of about $2 billion. The team also said that it planned to ask the City of Jacksonville to pick up half that bill.

While Deegan has acknowledged that many voters aren’t interested in public money being used to fund the project, she’s also said that Jacksonville doesn’t have much of a choice if the city doesn’t want to lose the Jaguars.

Jaguars president Mark Lamping said in the summer that the team would ideally have a stadium deal in place next spring to present at league meetings. There are meetings scheduled for March 24-27 in Orlando, Fla. and May 20-22 in Nashville, Tenn.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Donna Deegan on stadium deal: ‘I’d like to get this past us and move on’

Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan wants to wrap up stadium renovation negotiations with the Jaguars sooner rather than later.

Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan isn’t interested in dragging out a lengthy negotiation with the Jacksonville Jaguars about a massive renovation of EverBank Stadium. She says that the sooner talks are completed, the better.

“I’d like to get this done sooner rather than later,” Deegan told the Florida Times-Union. “I’d like to get this past us and move on to other issues that are important for our city.”

Deegan, who was elected earlier this year and took office in July, has been adamant that she wants to reach a deal with the Jaguars that ties the team to the City of Jacksonville for the foreseeable future. She’s also acknowledged that there’s no solution that doesn’t include significant investment of public money from the city.

The price tag for the entire project proposed by the Jaguars — which includes turning part of the parking lot into an entertainment district — is expected to come out to about $2 billion. The team said in the summer that it planned to ask the City of Jacksonville to pick up half that bill.

A shortened timeline on the negotiations would probably be welcomed by the Jaguars. Team president Mark Lamping said in June that the team would ideally love to have a deal done in the second quarter of 2024 — allowing the team to get official approval at the annual owners’ meeting in May.

The Jaguars are negotiating with Sidley Austin LLP, a law firm hired by Deegan to represent the city in talks. Any deal reached would also need approval from the Jacksonville City Council, which hired former Jaguars executive Michael Huyghue to represent its interests.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Donna Deegan says public money for stadium is a must to keep Jaguars

“80 percent say they don’t want to spend the money, 80 percent don’t want to lose the Jags. Those two things are simply mutually exclusive.”

Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan knows there are plenty of taxpayers who aren’t interested in public money being spent on a massive stadium renovation project for the Jacksonville Jaguars. She also knows there’s not much of a choice if the city doesn’t want to see the team pack up and leave town.

“I think everyone wants to see this work,” Deegan said in an interview with Action News Jax. “I’ve had so many community meetings since I was elected and I hear over and over again: people don’t want to spend public money on the stadium. I know that the fans want it, I know some people don’t see the benefit of it. I see a lot of benefit from it: pride in this team and this city, relationships that we can build business wise.

“But the bottom line is 80 percent say they don’t want to spend the money, 80 percent don’t want to lose the Jags. Those two things are simply mutually exclusive so an agreement must be reached. Hopefully, we come up with one that we all are pretty pleased with.”

The Jaguars aren’t asking for a small amount in negotiations with the city. The price tag for the entire project proposed by the Jaguars — which will include turning part of the parking lot into an entertainment district — is expected to come out to about $2 billion. The team said in the summer that it planned to ask the City of Jacksonville to pick up half that bill.

Jaguars president Mark Lamping said in June that the team would ideally love to have a deal with the City of Jacksonville done in the second quarter of 2024. That would allow the team to get official approval at the annual owners’ meeting in May.

There are many hurdles to cross before the Jaguars get to that point, though. The team is currently negotiating with Sidley Austin LLP, a law firm hired by Deegan to represent the city in talks. Any deal reached would also need approval from the Jacksonville City Council, which hired former Jaguars executive Michael Huyghue to represent its interests.

The Jaguars have played in EverBank Stadium, originally called Jacksonville Municipal Stadium, since the team’s inaugural season in 1995.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Donna Deegan hires law firm to represent city in Jaguars stadium talks

Donna Deegan picked Sidley Austin LLP to represent the city in stadium renovation negotiations with the Jaguars.

Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan is hiring Sidley Austin LLP to represent the city in negotiations with the Jacksonville Jaguars regarding a massive renovation of EverBank Stadium.

“After a comprehensive selection process and in accordance with the mayor’s desire to bring in an experienced, highly reputable outside law firm, we have chosen Sidley Austin LLP to represent the City in upcoming negotiations,” Jacksonville interim chief financial officer Mike Weinstein, the city’s said in a press release, via the Florida Times-Union.

Earlier this summer, the Jaguars revealed their vision for an overhaul of their home stadium, which would include a futuristic looking roof to provide shade while also allowing open air flow. The price tag of the project is expected to land at about $2 billion and Jaguars owner Shad Khan is hoping to split the bill evenly with the City of Jacksonville, which owns the facility.

In July, the Jacksonville City Council hired former Jaguars executive Michael Huyghue to represent their interests in negotiations.

There’s no established timeline for talks or a deadline for a deal to be reached. However, Jaguars president Mark Lamping told 1010XL that spring 2024 would “line up well” and allow the team to get final approval from NFL owners at league meetings in May.

The Jaguars’ lease with the City of Jacksonville to play games at EverBank Stadium runs through the end of the 2029 NFL season.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

City of Jacksonville approves 3 permits for sports performance center

The Jaguars’ new facility is one step closer to construction.

Shad Khan’s downtown sports performance complex is one step closer to reality.

Last year, the city agreed to split the cost of the new facility in Jacksonville, and on Wednesday, it issued three permits for the project. The news was first reported by Mike Mendenhall of the Jacksonville Daily Record.

Two of the permits have to do with building the foundations for the facility, while the third has to do with the demolition of underground drainage, light poles, bleacher pads and a small building on the site.

The total cost for the job is expected to be $50,000.

The entire project is estimated to cost a total of $120 million, and when complete, the facility will include indoor, and outdoor practice fields as well as a weight room, medical center, offices, and other team facilities.

There are two permits associated with the project that are still awaiting approval: one for the construction of vertical bleachers with shops below, and the second for the construction of the indoor practice facility.

Though the sports performance center is still a ways away, the red-tape continues to be pulled back on Khan’s facilities upgrade.