by J. Brooks Terry
Staff Writer
Though there are nearly 20 months between now and when Jacksonville plays host to the 2005 Super Bowl, there’s already talk of encouraging communities outside of downtown to get involved.
“We anticipate approximately 100,000 people will be in the downtown area on the Friday and Saturday evenings before Super Bowl Sunday,” said Michael Kelly, president and chief operating officer of the Super Bowl Host Committee. “It will be important to balance public entertainment with the ability to move safely throughout the area. We’re taking a lot into consideration.”
Kelly, who also directed Tampa’s 2001 Super Bowl, had previously been faced with the challenge of controlling Super Bowl frenzy with added pressure from the annual Gasparilla Festival and parade. The combined events brought an influx of well over 700,000 people into downtown Tampa.
“It was a lot of fun for many people,” said Kelly. “But it also made it very difficult for journalists and the NFL staff get their jobs done.”
Kelly said it makes sense for everyone if outside areas promote their own special events in conjunction with the Super Bowl.
“The focus will, of course, remain downtown with attractions like the NFL Experience, but it is important to coordinate event pockets,” said Kelly. “It is more than just an issue of distributing the masses. This is really a key opportunity for other areas throughout the community to get involved and raise the quality of life for both the visitors and residents.”
Kelly said the international event has simply grown far too large for any one city to handle alone.
“Surrounding cities regularly play roles now,” he said. “When it came to Tampa, you had St. Petersburg and Clearwater staying active. Now, we’re looking to southern Georgia and even as far south as Daytona to take some of the weight off Jacksonville, and downtown in particular. If we pull together, the residents in other communities will only serve to complement our efforts here and act as pieces of the puzzle.”
Though nothing is official, Kelly said events such as a Sea Food Festival and Air and Sea Spectacular hosted by Fernandina Beach and Jacksonville’s beaches are likely. St. Augustine and Savannah are also expected to play roles.
“The official bid process won’t begin until the summer,” he said. “By late fall, we’ll have some specifics.”