Mark Lamping: Gainesville, Orlando more prepared for Jaguars than Daytona

Mark Lamping isn’t convinced Daytona International Speedway is the best candidate to be a temporary home for the Jaguars.

Jacksonville Jaguars president Mark Lamping will meet with Daytona International Speedway representatives on Friday to discuss the possibility of NASCAR’s premier racetrack potentially serving as a temporary home for the Jaguars in the future. He doesn’t sound convinced that much will come from the meeting, though.

In an appearance on 1010XL earlier this week, Lamping said Daytona isn’t the team’s top choice in the event that the Jaguars play games outside of Jacksonville during a renovation of TIAA Bank Field.

“One thing Daytona has going for it is that they’re used to big crowds,” Lamping said. “It’s pretty close. You just have to worry about going back and forth up I-95. So if you’re going to invest a bunch of money in a facility … they’ve hosted football there before.

“There will be some issues with that as it relates to infrastructure, so we’ll see how it goes. But again, that’s going to add cost to the project, so we’re going to have to figure out who pays that cost. The preference, if we are going to take games away from Jacksonville, we’ll look at all alternatives because you never know what you may discover, but as you sit here today, you’d have to say Gainesville and Orlando are more prepared to host NFL games right now than doing games at the speedway.”

The Jaguars are hoping to reach a deal with the City of Jacksonville on a massive renovation of their home stadium. While a four-year renovation of the stadium could allow the team to stay at TIAA Bank Field during construction, a two-year project would force the team to play elsewhere.

There are local venues in Jacksonville like Hodges Stadium at the University of North Florida, but that facility would require a significant investment to be ready to host NFL games.

While the idea of the Jaguars playing games on the front stretch of NASCAR’s most iconic track is fun, it seems pretty low on the list of possibilities.

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Gainesville barely makes top 10 on list of South’s best college towns

When will Gainesville stop allowing luxury apartments to run amock over midtown?

Gainesville used to be one of the best college towns in the South. But now new luxury apartments have run amuck on University Avenue, causing the city to lose its amazing college town allure. Southern Living dropped its list of the South’s best college towns in 2022 and Gainesville barely made the top 10. Here is what they had to say:

The hometown of the Gators has a lively and historic downtown, where arts and culture take center stage. Catch a play at the Hippodrome Theater or join a free line-dancing or figure-drawing class in Bo Diddley Plaza. Nature-centric activities, like Florida Museum of Natural History’s Butterfly Rainforest and the Kanapaha Botanical Gardens, round out the town’s offerings.

Nowhere did they mention Midtown. The area has suffered drastically as it has seen hallowed establishments like The Swamp Restaurant and many others be torn down in exchange for luxury apartments minutes away from campus.

Sadly, this problem won’t go away anytime soon as these new complexes will start gunning for popular bars and nightclubs in the heart of Midtown soon like the Salty Dog Saloon, Balls and FAT DADDY’S. Midtown is still an extremely popular place for students despite the University of Florida’s ascension in the public universities rankings.

Gainesville should see it keep dropping in these types of rankings if they don’t put a stop to all these luxury apartment complexes from taking over.

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David Reese II Explains Virtual NFL Draft Meetings, Watching Gators Teammates Play in Super Bowl

In addition to preparing for the 2020 NFL Draft, former Florida Gators linebacker David Reese II has been playing videos games, spending time with his parents and biking. He shares how he’s making up for his pro day being canceled and what it’s like taking part in a virtual NFL Draft interview.

In addition to preparing for the 2020 NFL Draft, former Florida Gators linebacker David Reese II has been playing videos games, spending time with his parents and biking. He shares how he’s making up for his pro day being canceled and what it’s like taking part in a virtual NFL Draft interview.

Florida LB David Reese II Reveals His Favorite Music, Food And Cheat Day Meal

As he prepares for the 2020 NFL Draft former Florida Gators linebacker David Reese II shares some of his favorite things including the must-watch TV show he’s recommending and his favorite cheat day meal in Gainesville.

As he prepares for the 2020 NFL Draft former Florida Gators linebacker David Reese II shares some of his favorite things including the must-watch TV show he’s recommending and his favorite cheat day meal in Gainesville.

WATCH: Florida football fans carry on Tom Petty tradition under the lights in Gainesville

Florida Gators fans continued their tradition of honoring Tom Petty on Saturday in Gainesville

The Florida Gators knocked off Florida State on Saturday by a score of 40-17, to extend their rivalry win streak to 2 games.

Of course, we at UGA Wire are far from fans of the Gators, but we will admit some traditions in college football are worth mentioning at given moments.

Ben Hill Griffin Stadium singing Tom Petty’s ‘Won’t Back Down’ on Saturday was one of those times.

Just sit back, relax, and enjoy this short video from Gainesville.

We know no one can ‘Light Up The Fourth Quarter’ like Georgia, but this tradition is pretty cool, you have to admit. Props to Florida for continuing to honor Petty.

And thanks for that resume boost on the schedule tonight as well. We run the East!