Tag: Lenny Curry

Jacksonville mayoral candidates oppose Jaguars temporarily leaving town

The two Jacksonville mayoral candidates both said they’d oppose the Jaguars playing in another city during future stadium renovations.

Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry raised eyebrows earlier this week when he said that the Jacksonville Jaguars will have no choice but to find another place to play when TIAA Bank Field is undergoing a two-year renovation.

The candidates to fill Curry’s seat both pumped the brakes on that notion Thursday.

“During construction, I expect our team to play in Jacksonville as they have for nearly thirty years,” Democratic candidate Donna Deegan said in a statement, via the Florida Times-Union. “Terms of a deal will be decided thoughtfully and responsibly with input from all stakeholders, not at the height of a campaign.”

Republican candidate Daniel Davis shared a similar sentiment on Twitter:

There’s no proposal for a stadium upgrade in place and negotiations are ongoing, so Curry’s assertion that the Jaguars will be forced out of TIAA Bank Field seems speculative at this point. However, both the University of Florida and University of North Florida confirmed that the Jaguars have contacted them about the possibility of hosting games in the future.

Deegan and Davis advanced to a runoff after no candidate received at least 50 percent of the vote in the March election. The runoff is scheduled to happen next week on Tuesday, May 16.

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Jaguars have talked to UF, UNF about relocating games for renovation

The Jaguars are, at the very least, preparing contingency plans in the case that they can’t use TIAA Bank Field during renovations.

The Jacksonville Jaguars have contacted the University of Florida and the University of North Florida to discuss the possibility of games being relocated from TIAA Bank Field during future stadium renovations, the schools each confirmed to the Florida Times-Union.

On Wednesday, Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry said in a radio interview that a two-year renovation of the Jaguars’ home stadium may happen during the 2025 and 2026 seasons, and that “the team will have to play somewhere else” during the project.

While the veracity of those claims by Curry have been called into question — especially when the Jaguars don’t even have a renovation proposal yet — the Times-Union’s report shows that the team is, at the very least, preparing contingency plans.

“The University of North Florida has had initial contact from the Jaguars, and we understand the team is exploring many options. No decisions from any side have been made, and we look forward to future discussions,” a UNF spokesperson told the Times-Union in a statement.

Similarly, Florida Gators athletic director Scott Stricklin said that the Jaguars “expressed interest in having future conversations about where they would play games during the renovation.”

UNF does not have a football team, but the school’s soccer teams and track and field teams play at Hodges Stadium, a 9,400-seat facility in Jacksonville.

The Gators’ Ben Hill Griffin Stadium is significantly larger with a capacity of 88,548. However, “The Swamp” in Gainesville, Fla. is a more than 70-mile drive from TIAA Bank Field.

On Thursday, Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer’s office told Spectrum News 13 that the city’s venues staff hasn’t had any conversations with the Jaguars about the possibility of using Camping World Stadium.

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Lenny Curry: Jaguars may play elsewhere during 2-year renovation

Jacksonville mayor Lenny Curry says the Jaguars are likely to play at an alternate site during the expected renovation of TIAA Bank Field.

The Jacksonville Jaguars appear to be nearing a massive renovation of TIAA Bank Field. According to Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry, that project will likely force the Jaguars to play elsewhere for a couple years.

“Best case scenario, I expect that the renovation will take two years, two seasons,” Curry said Wednesday on 1010XL. “The team will have to play somewhere else. The goal would be to play somewhere in Jacksonville. Those discussions are happening. Two years is the goal.

“I know that [the Jaguars] are considering certain sites that are local that could accommodate them for at least two years. … The goal is to play those games in Jacksonville. I know they care about that.”

No deal is currently in place for the renovation, although negotiations between the city of Jacksonville and the Jaguars are ongoing. In October, the Florida Times-Union reported that the price tag for the project is expected to be in the $600 million-$1 billion range.

Curry, whose term as mayor ends on July 1, said that he doesn’t expect a deal to be wrapped up before the next administration takes over. He also said that the renovation will make TIAA Bank Field look like “a brand-new stadium” and that 2025 and 2026 are likeliest to be the seasons when construction takes place.

Any deal between the mayor’s office and the Jaguars will also need to be approved by both the Jacksonville City Council as well as the other NFL team owners.

While Curry says the Jaguars hope to play games at an alternate site in Jacksonville, there aren’t many options. Even if the team hopes to follow in the Los Angeles Chargers’ footsteps by playing in a tiny stadium (the Chargers played in the 27,000-seat Dignity Health Sports Park for three seasons), there’s no facility aside from TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville even close to that size.

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Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry files bill to split cost of Jaguars practice facility

Curry’s bill would divide the cost of the $120 million football performance facility between the team and the city.

It seems that the new Jacksonville Jaguars performance facility will be partially funded by the city, as Mayor Lenny Curry has filed a bill that would split the cost of the projected $120 million facility with the City of Jacksonville. According to the Jacksonville Daily Record’s Mike Mendenhall, the city’s contribution will cap at $60 million with the Jaguars being responsible for any cost overruns.

The bill, which requires approval from the City Council and is expected to be introduced on Tuesday, would commit $36 million in spending for the 2021-22 fiscal year with the final $24 million to be spent the following year.

Jags owner Shad Khan first introduced his plan for the facility, as well as a Four Seasons hotel and a renovated children’s park, on June 3. The football facility will include an equipment room, weight training, and medical facilities, two outdoor grass fields with around 2,300 bleacher seats, a team store, and concessions facilities.

A prospective second phase of the project would reportedly also bring an orthopedic sports medicine practice affiliated with Baptist Health. In total, Khan’s downtown development plans are projected to cost $441 million.

If the bill passes, the Jaguars would commit to an initial 30-year lease for the performance facility property with two 10-year extension options. The team is also required to pay for maintenance and repairs.

After the failure of the “Lot J” development at the Council level, this agreement is expected to pass. However, it still requires a vote, and according to Mendenhall, that may not happen until possibly early September. Still, it seems that Khan finally has the deal with the city for development that he’s been after for years.

Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry celebrates Jets’ win as Jags fall to 1-13

Mayor Lenny Curry found joy in the New York Jets’ win as the Jacksonville Jaguars lost their 13th straight

How important was the New York Jets’ victory over the Los Angeles Rams to the Jacksonville Jaguars? The mayor of the Florida city took to social media to gloat … after the Jags had been annihilated by the Ravens on the same Sunday to drop to 1-13.

Why? Because the Jets’ win puts the Jags in the driver’s seat for the No. 1 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. Lose out and Trevor Lawrence falls in your lap thanks to the Jets stunning the Rams.

Later, Curry felt the need to explain — clarify —  his position.

Leonard Fournette links up with Jacksonville mayor Lenny Curry, police during protest

It was another monumental day for the Jags off the field after Leonard Fournette organized another peaceful protest for Downtown Jax.

Tuesday marked another monumental day for the Jacksonville Jaguars off the field as running back Leonard Fournette organized a protest with teammates and key figures in the city, including mayor Lenny Curry and the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office. Fournette informed the public of the process last week and eventually set the time for 10 a.m. ET, and like the protest his comrades had last Friday, things went fluidly.

Fournette’s protest comes as many athletes have stepped up to speak for the black community (and minorities in general) after the death of George Floyd, who was a victim of police brutality. In the process of being detained, Minneapolis officer Derek Chauvin was seen in a disturbing video kneeling on Floyd’s neck for almost nine minutes. Despite Floyd declaring that he couldn’t breathe several times, Chauvin continued to kneel on his neck and it resulted in his tragic death.

Chauvin and officers Thomas Lane, J.A. Kueng, and Tou Thao, who were also on the scene for the detainment, were all charged. Chauvin received second-degree murder (was initially third-degree) and manslaughter charges, while his accomplices received aiding and abetting charges on the counts that Chauvin received.

As previously mentioned, Fournette’s protest marked the second by a Jag representative. Friday, the organization gathered a group of about 300 that included players (present and former), coaches, front office personnel, and more for a march from TIAA Bank Field to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office down the road.

When they arrived at the police precinct, former Jags player-turned-police officer Ernest Wilford, running backs coach Terry Robiskie, and Chris Conley all shared powerful messages about racism and coming together. Conley’s message especially seemed to garner the attention of local officials as a nearby Confederate monument was removed before Fournette’s protest after Conley made mention of it Friday.

The teammates who joined Fournette on Tuesday included linebacker Myles Jack, running back Ryquell Armstead, safety Ronnie Harrison, and receivers Keelan Cole and Conley, to name a few. It was one of many showings by NFL athletes which involved the players personally protesting with the public.

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Jags president Mark Lamping says team, city close to a $700 million deal for development of Lot J

Jacksonville Jaguars president Mark Lamping has been a busy man as of late. In an article by the Florida Times-Union, Lamping announced that a development deal is “very close” to being finalized to be sent to the City Council with hopes to break …

Jacksonville Jaguars president Mark Lamping has been a busy man as of late. In an article by the Florida Times-Union, Lamping announced that a development deal is “very close” to being finalized to be sent to the City Council with hopes to break ground on Lot J (adjacent to TIAA Bank Field) in the spring. 

There was a great deal of progress made towards the project in the summer of 2019 when Jacksonville mayor Lenny Curry announced a financial framework for the city’s contribution towards funding the project. It was  then revealed that the city would fund $233.3 million towards the project, which is a neighborhood centralized around an entertainment district, with $208.3 of that being hard money.

The development of Lot J has long been a goal for Jags owner Shad Khan dating back to 2018. He partnered with Cordish Companies for the development of the district. The national developer has worked on various project like the Jags’ with different sports franchises such as the Atlanta Braves, St. Louis Cardinals, and Texas Rangers. 

Lamping also said the cost for the project, which was originally projected at $500 million, had risen to $700 million. However, he didn’t say that any additional money would be needed from the city and added that Khan and the Cordish Companies were able to finance their portions of Lot J and would split the private investment with each other on a 50-50 basis. 

Back in January of 2018, we previewed what we believe the project could look like when completed based on the Cordish Companies’ projects in the past. In all probability, the project could also include a high-end hotel, various sports bars in the entertainment district, and restaurants.