As the Jacksonville City Council prepares for a final vote on an ordinance to green-light the University of Florida’s proposed graduate campus in LaVilla, the university has scheduled a series of informational meetings for local businesses interested in subcontracting on the project.
A UF spokesman said June 13 that in partnership with the Jacksonville Small and Emerging Businesses program, UF Small Business Relations will present sessions on procurement and contracting opportunities, how to become a UF supplier and where to find support services.
The meetings
All meetings start at 6 p.m. and are scheduled for 90 minutes. Dates and locations are as follows:
• June 18 at the Jacksonville Main Library, 303 N. Laura St.
• June 23 at the JSEB Entrepreneurship Workforce Development Center, 865 Golfair Blvd.
• June 25 in the Westside High School auditorium, 5530 Firestone Road.
To register, visit here. More information is available here.
Funding approved
On June 12, the City Council Committee of the Whole voted 15-0 for Ordinance 2025-0339, which provides up to $105 million in city funding and properties valued at more than $30 million to UF for the campus. The vote advanced the ordinance to a final Council vote expected June 24.
UF officials say the university has obtained $245 million in state funding and private donations for the campus.
UF announced in December it had selected LaVilla as the site of its Jacksonville campus, where it plans to begin offering classes in the fall of 2025.
The university says its first classes will be held in the former Interline Brands Inc. building at 801 W. Bay St., where it will spend $7 million to retrofit the property for instructional use.
Swap approved
Council voted June 10 to acquire the Interline Brands building from the Gateway Jax development partnership, which purchased it in October 2024, through an exchange of a development pad at the former Jacksonville Landing site and an option on adjacent property.
Gateway Jax has committed to building a 17-story tower on the Northbank site, now called Riverfront Plaza, with a hotel, condominiums, restaurants and retail establishments, and public spaces.
Ordinance 2025-0339 conveys properties and options to UF on the Interline Brands building and four other properties. They are:
• Two vacant lots, identified as Sites A and B, immediately west of the Interline property.
• The historic Jacksonville Terminal rail station, which UF plans to adapt for campus use by maintaining the exterior as-is and renovating the interior for uses that could include restaurants and retail.
• The portions of the Prime F. Osborn III Convention Center attached to the train station, plus the convention center parking lot and grounds. The university plans to demolish the addition and build new facilities from the train station west to Interstate 95.
The city also is attempting to acquire a lot nestled into the convention center parking lot along Bay Street. That property is owned by multifamily developer Vestcor.
Under the ordinance, the city would provide up to $5 million to UF to purchase the Vestcor lot if the city fails to acquire it.