In a vote that ushers in the University of Florida to build a graduate center campus in LaVilla, the Jacksonville City Council gave final approval June 24 to legislation providing city funding and property for the project.
Council voted 16-0 to convey five properties to UF, including one the city is acquiring through an exchange of city-owned property, and contribute $105 million in Duval County taxpayer funding to the campus. The vote was on an omnibus-type bill for the campus, Ordinance 2025-0396, with members Terrance Freeman, Joe Carlucci and Ken Amaro on excused absences.
UF says it has amassed $245 million in state funding and private donations for the campus, where it plans to begin offering classes in the fall of 2025 and begin its first new construction shortly after.
“We know that great cities are not just built with concrete and steel, but with vision,” said Mori Hosseini, chair of the UF Board of Trustees. “And today Jacksonville is showing vision – bold, long-term, civic-minded vision. The kind of vision that says we are not content to play catch-up. We are ready to lead.”
After the meeting, Hosseini said UF's plans including bringing the Florida Semiconductor Institute to the campus in as little as two years.
In an emailed statement, Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan said the vote marked "a moment we will look back on and never forget."
"UF’s new graduate campus is a linchpin in our work to ignite downtown Jacksonville and develop the industries and workforce of the future," Deegan said. "In addition, the Florida Semiconductor Institute will grow our already large and active military presence. I’m grateful to the City Council and University of Florida for their partnership as we enter this next chapter together.”
Council approved the ordinance with little discussion, having previously taken it up at length during committee meetings.
Member Rory Diamond noted that he generally votes against funding for Downtown projects and was questioned by conservative constituents for supporting the legislation in committee.
He said he proudly voted for the campus, likening it to Jacksonville being awarded an NFL franchise and drawing the Mayo Clinic.
"Sometimes things come along that are a very bid deal for the city of Jacksonville," he said. "For those who are upset with my vote, I get it. I understand. But sometimes it’s Jacksonville first."
The ordinance provides five properties and two equal tranches of $50 million in city funding to UF. It also offers up to $5 million for the university to purchase another property owned by multifamily developer Vestcor if the city is unable to acquire the lot.
The properties that the city will convey to UF are:
• The former Interline Brands Inc. and grounds at 801 W. Bay St. That 2.85-acre property was valued at $6.35 million to $6.52 million in appraisals obtained by the Downtown Investment Authority.
• A vacant 2.36-acre parcel neighboring the Interline building to the west. That parcel, identified in city documents as Site A, has been appraised at $2.35 million.
• A 1.22-acre vacant property immediately west of Site A. The parcel, identified as Site B, has been appraised at $1.84 million.
• An option on the $1.68 million historic Jacksonville Terminal train station.
• An option on the portion of the Prime F. Osborn III Convention Center that is attached to the train station, plus its grounds and parking lot. That 14.1-acre property is valued at $15.52 million.
The Vestcor property is tucked into the convention center footprint on the north side. The city is exploring options that include a land swap to acquire that lot, which was valued at $2.58 million in an appraisal obtained by the city.
Interline building
On June 10, Council voted 17-1 in favor of Ordinance 2025-0319, which directed the city to acquire the Interline building through an exchange of a development pad at the former Jacksonville Landing site plus an option on a previous parking lot for the Landing.
The owner of the Interline property, Gateway Jax, committed to building a 17-story tower on the development pad with a hotel, condominiums, retail establishments and restaurants, and public spaces.
Gateway Jax comprises principal Bryan Moll, JWB Real Estate Capital and DLP Capital LLC. It has begun construction on a Downtown redevelopment project that, if fully realized, would exceed $2 billion.
The partnership purchased the two-story, 38,186-square-foot Interline building in October 2024, two months before UF announced it had selected LaVilla as the site of its Jacksonville campus providing that the city contribute land for the project.
UF plans to spend $7 million retrofitting the building for classroom use and launching architecture courses there in the fall of 2025.
The university says its offerings at the Jacksonville campus will include a program that merges artificial intelligence with the medical field; science in management; engineering; computer science; and an MBA tailored toward working professionals.
First construction
The first new construction for the campus is planned on Sites A and B, for which the first tranche of city funding is dedicated.
The second $50 million will be used for campus improvements after the initial tranche of funding runs out. It will be made in four equal installments of $12.5 million per year beginning in October 2027.
That funding was aimed at attracting the Florida Semiconductor Institute (FSI) to Jacksonville.
UF plans to adapt the train station to modern uses, keeping its exterior as-is while renovating the interior for such potential uses as retail and restaurants.
Among other requirements of the ordinance, UF cannot exercise the option on the train station until it has spent $80 million in direct costs on construction of buildings on Sites A and B and built at least 60,000 square feet of classroom space.
UF is barred from exercising the option on the convention center property until it has spent $100 million in direct costs at sites A&B.
The properties would revert to the city if the following conditions are not met:
• For the Interline Brands building, UF must begin offering two degree programs with a combined 50 students by the end of 2027.
• For Site A, work must begin within five years. For Site B, the span is seven years.
• Work on the Jacksonville Terminal must begin within a year after it is conveyed to UF. For the convention center, the span is three years.
State and local commitment
Hosseini said the UF campus would attract innovation, research dollars and talent to Jacksonville while also helping retain the region's best students.
He said similar educational institutions had helped revive other urban areas, including Arizona State University's downtown campus in Phoenix and the University of South Florida's heath facility on Water Street in Tampa.
He thanked Gov. Ron DeSantis, Deegan, Council members, the taxpayers of the state of Florida and Jacksonville, and others for making the project possible.
"As a university, we always look for an excuse not to do something, and we had no excuses" on the Jacksonville campus, Hosseini said. "When the city of Jacksonville's leaders from the mayor to council members were so committed, and the governor of Florida and Legislature were committed , we just saw this is an opportunity for us to be in Jacksonville and bring that urban education to this area."
Kurt Dudas, vice president for the UF Office for Strategic Initiatives, credited Downtown Investment Authority CEO Lori Boyer and her staff for being "nothing less than exceptional" in doing the groundwork on the land conveyances and development agreement.
Boyer is retiring at the end of June after leading the DIA since 2019 and serving as a Council member and president before that.
In a vote immediately following the action on the UF ordinance, Council approved a resolution honoring Boyer for her career in public service for the city.