Tag: Jacksonville City Council

Jaguars ‘Stadium of the Future’ deal passes City Council vote

Jaguars stadium deal passes Jacksonville City Council vote

Jacksonville’s City Council passed legislation for the Jaguars’ $1.4 billion plans to renovate EverBank Stadium on Tuesday evening with a 14-1 vote, with two members abstaining.

The $775 million total public investment, allocated for stadium construction, deferred capital and maintenance/start-up expenses, marks the largest single capital project in city history.

The Jaguars will contribute $625 million to construction costs and be held responsible for all stadium cost overruns. They’ll also make a $100+ million contribution to the community benefits agreement.

Among the stadium plans include installing a canopy to provide shade, rain cover and improved airflow for 100% of observers in outdoor seating; increased air conditioning; doubling the width of the main concourse and creating 360° connectivity on the upper concourse; 16 new escalators and 12 new elevators; 12 new restrooms and renovations and expansions to existing restrooms; and 190 new points of food and beverage sale.

Construction is on track to begin following the 2025 season and complete before the 2028 season. The Jaguars will likely play at Camping World Stadium in Orlando or Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville in 2027 while most of the construction is conducted.

Find renderings and additional details about the renovation plans here.

The deal includes a non-relocation agreement and a 30-year, $1.35 million per year lease extension for the Jaguars on the stadium, which would take effect in 2028.

“The belief and determination of [former Jaguars owners] Delores and Wayne Weaver to make the Jacksonville Jaguars a reality more than 30 years ago was reaffirmed today by the leadership of Mayor Donna Deegan, her team and the Jacksonville City Council,” Jaguars owner Shad Khan said in a statement following the vote.

“The message then, and now, should be clear. Never doubt Jacksonville!”

City Council amended the community benefits portion of the agreement last week.

The deal originally included $150 million contributions from both the city and the Jaguars toward ongoing, targeted community initiatives, including OUTEAST neighborhood community development, countywide workforce development, park development and conversion, and affordable housing/homelessness.

The city’s CBA contribution within the stadium deal is now $56 million for renovations to Riverfront Plaza, Metropolitan Park, Shipyards West Park and the Flex Field, with the Jaguars pledging at least $100 million to community projects and an additional $1 for every $3 further contributed by the city, up to their originally agreed upon $150 million contribution.

The $94 million axed from the CBA will be reviewed further by City Council in July, per Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan.

“I want everybody to know that I’m also very committed to making sure that we get the rest of that community benefits agreement across the finish line,” Deegan said Monday via News 4 Jax.

“When council comes back from their break in mid-July, we are absolutely committed to those issues of affordable housing, and homelessness, making sure that we create a benefit for the entire community and all this and so I’m excited about tomorrow and excited about the days ahead.”

The “Stadium of the Future” agreement will be presented to NFL owners for approval in October, where it will require 75% support before construction can begin.

Find the projected timeline for EverBank Stadium’s renovations below.

  • NFL owners approval: Oct. 2024
  • Construction begins: Feb. 2025
  • 2025 season: In Jacksonville with 60K+ stadium capacity
  • 2026 season: In Jacksonville with approximately 43.5K stadium capacity
  • 2027 season: Away from Jacksonville (location TBD)
  • Renovations complete and facility opening: Aug. 2028

This is a breaking news story that will be updated.  

Jacksonville hires ex-Jaguars VP Michael Huyghue for stadium talks

The Jacksonville City Council hired a familiar face to represent them in stadium negotiations with the Jaguars.

The Jacksonville City Council agreed Tuesday to hire Michael Huyghue to represent their interests in negotiations with the Jacksonville Jaguars on a massive stadium renovation project, according to the Florida Times-Union.

Huyghue, 61, was once a senior vice president of the Jaguars, joining the team in 1994 prior to its first games as an expansion franchise. He left the Jaguars in 2001 to begin his own business as a sports and entertainment agent. Huyghue later served as commissioner of the short-lived United Football League.

“While my relationship has been long-standing in the NFL, in many cases, it has been on the opposite side of the table,” Huyghue said at the council meeting Tuesday, via the Times-Union. “I have a very good relationship with them. And that gives me an inside seat to be able to understand some of the inner workings that I think I will bring to this position.”

Newly elected Jacksonville mayor Donna Deegan is reportedly in the process of hiring a consultant of her own for the stadium talks.

In June, the Jaguars revealed the first renderings of their vision for a renovated TIAA Bank Field (soon to become EverBank Stadium). Team president Mark Lamping has said the project will likely come with a price tag of about $2 billion and the Jaguars will ask the City of Jacksonville, who owns the stadium, to cover about half the cost.

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