Leaders from the City and the Jacksonville Jaguars announced Wednesday they would work together to find a way to pay for $63 million in EverBank Field improvements.
Mayor Alvin Brown, City Council President Bill Bishop, Gator Bowl Association President and CEO Rick Catlett and 13 other Council members joined Jaguars owner Shad Khan and team President Mark Lamping as they described proposed stadium improvements.
"These enhancements include major improvements to our video capabilities, which will include two new video end zone scoreboards that will be the first of their kind in the world," said Lamping.
The scoreboards measure 55 feet by 301 feet, twice the size of an NFL end zone.
The improvements also will include a new food, beverage and entertainment area in the north end zone with swimming pools that face the field.
The new platform will result in the loss of 7,000 seats.
The enhancements are planned to be in place for the 2014 preseason.
"The new scoreboards and fan area in the north end zone of EverBank Field will put us squarely in the discussion of world class, helping to stabilize and strengthen the Jaguars while making us a destination for college football, international soccer and many other sports and entertainment events," Khan said.
Khan often has talked about how the team is working to improve the stadium experience to draw people from their homes and televisions.
"When you see these plans come to life next fall, it will be impossible to stay home to watch the Jaguars. You will want to be here," said Khan.
The Jaguars have worked with City leaders since February, when the team's plans for improvements were announced.
The proposed deal struck between the City and the team requires the City to provide $36.4 million from capital project funding to build the north end zone fan engagement area along with infrastructure and a control room to support the scoreboards.
The Jaguars will provide $20 million of the estimated $26.5 million needed for the scoreboards and the City will provide the remaining $6.5 million.
Lamping said the Jaguars would pay for any cost overruns.
The City has agreed that if the project is completed under budget, the remaining funds will be allocated to stadium capital improvements.
The agreement must be approved by Council before it can be added to the City's capital improvement plan.
The proposal didn't receive much resistance from the attending Council members.
"You can say, 'Why are we spending so much money in times of trouble?' My response to that is if you don't, you get further behind," Bishop said.
"You can't shut down business completely because you're having a bad day. You've got to make the city grow and this is the next step to doing that," he said.
He said he did not have an issue with the City paying the majority of the cost for the project.
"I think it is an equitable arrangement. We own (EverBank Field) when it's done, and it's not just the Jaguars that will benefit. All the events that take place in the stadium will benefit," Bishop said.
Brown said he viewed the deal as part of the City's efforts to revitalize Downtown.
"Enhancing our stadium is a positive step toward the strategic goal of Downtown revitalization and it's an opportunity to play to our strengths as a destination for sports and entertainment," he said.
Catlett said more than stadium improvements for the Jaguars will be gained by the project.
"This is the first step of many steps that we will take over the next five or six years to, hopefully, not only see the Jaguars win a Super Bowl, but to see a national championship game played here, to ensure that the Florida-Georgia game continues to be played here in this community and raise the status of the Gator Bowl to that major status level that we enjoyed in the '60s and '70s," said Catlett.
@photojoe71
(904) 356-2466