Partway into one of the Jacksonville Jaguars’ finest seasons in franchise history, an off-the-field matter competed with news of the team’s game-day performances during December.
That month, city Chief Administrative Officer Mike Weinstein told City Council members that the $1.4 billion transformation of EverBank Stadium into the team’s “Stadium of the Future” had encountered $100 million in cost overruns since construction began in February.
A spokesperson for the Jaguars declined to confirm that figure. Weinstein said that under the deal between the city and team to fund the stadium overhaul, the Jaguars would shoulder additional costs not brought on by city delays.
On Dec. 15, Jaguars President Mark Lamping concurred with Weinstein’s assessments during an interview with the Daily Record, but said the amount of the overruns was in flux.
“The costs change literally every hour,” Lamping said. “(The Jaguars are) generally responsible for cost overruns. If the cost overruns are the result of something that a third party has done, then there’s some room for discussion.”
Under legislation approved by Council in June, the city is contributing $775 million in public funding for the project with the Jaguars providing $625 million.
The legislation included a 30-year lease agreement with the team, a nonrelocation agreement and an additional $56 million in spending on riverfront parks and the stadium-adjacent flex field.
Full renovations will add a partial roof cover, expanded and elevated concourses, a parklike entrance, corner openings to improve airflow and a reflective outer coating to reduce interior heat.
Lamping said during the Dec. 15 interview that construction was about 10% complete and remains on schedule.
That includes the first of four planned grand staircases, which opened in October.
After that opening, construction crews were set to tear down stadium stairways and ramps and replace them with more grand staircases and escalators.
Lower capacity in 2026
While the Jaguars stadium is operating at full capacity in 2025, the upper sections will close for the 2026 season after the playoffs are complete. The stadium will then hold about 43,500 fans.
According to ESPN, Jacksonville averages the eighth-lowest attendance in the league, averaging 64,429 fans a game.
Those attendance figures are about 50% above EverBank Stadium’s expected capacity in 2026.
Lamping did not see lower attendance putting a damper on the energy in the stadium. Rather, a condensed crowd in lower bowl seating, which Lamping said was almost sold out to season ticket holders, could bring increased intensity.
“There will be some seats that are removed in the corners and down near the field, but it will be packed,” Lamping said. “I think the energy that our fans bring will be different, but I don’t think it’s going to be any lower of energy inside the stadium. In fact, it might be even higher, given that we expect that there will be no empty seats.”
Lamping also said he expected demand for Jaguars tickets to outstrip supply in 2026.
Camping World in 2027
The Jaguars plan to spend the 2027 season playing in Orlando’s Camping World Stadium, Lamping said.
That stadium hosted several failed professional football teams and now is the site of the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl, Pop-Tarts Bowl and StaffDNA Cure Bowl, along with concerts and other events.
The Jaguars and the city of Orlando declined to answer questions regarding the Jaguars’ potential lease of Camping World Stadium.
Lamping said that while many Jaguars fans living in Jacksonville aren’t likely to travel the 140 miles to Orlando for every game, attendance numbers could be augmented by fans living in Central Florida.
“We have a large fan base, and we have a lot of fans that do not attend games right now… For that large group of Jaguars fans, it won’t be much of a change,” Lamping said.
“The other thing that comes into play now is the Jaguars have a lot of fans who live in Orlando, people that have moved from Northeast Florida to Central Florida… At least for this one season, it’ll be a little more convenient for them to see their favorite team in person.”
The temporary move to Orlando is not official. The Jaguars expect it to be approved at the NFL owners meeting in March.
“The Jaguars continue to work with the NFL office to identify the team’s home game location for the 2027 season. Once the plan is finalized, it will be presented to the NFL owners for a vote,” Lyndsay Rossman, the Jaguars’ director of business communications, said in a text.
With the Jaguars moving from Jacksonville for the year, Lamping did not expect for Jacksonville to suffer significant economic dips through the loss of home games.
Rather than focus on the areas of Downtown that would lose fan traffic several weekends a year, Lamping pointed to Jacksonville bars that could see greater attendance with local fans watching Jaguars games outside of EverBank Stadium.
During the EverBank Stadium renovations, Daily’s Place, the amphitheater adjacent to the stadium, is set to close for two years.
Shipyards development, Lot J still in future
EverBank Stadium is not the only area of Jacksonville’s Sports and Entertainment District undergoing construction.
Jaguars owner Shad Khan is leading development of the Four Seasons Hotel and Private Residences and the One Tower Court office building across Gator Bowl Boulevard from the stadium.
Three of the four penthouses of the Four Seasons will be occupied by members of the Khan family, and the fourth has been reserved to an unidentified buyer.
The facility will hold 26 luxury residences, which are starting at $4.72 million.
Additionally, One Tower Court, which will be the Jaguars headquarters beginning in February 2026, landed a partial top-floor office tenant – Timucuan Asset Management Inc.
The Jaguars also own an empty parcel of land along Jacksonville’s Northbank, which they are required under the Stadium of the Future community benefits agreement to develop. Lamping said plans for that parcel were likely at least one year away.
The team is still interested in developing the Lot J parking lot adjacent to the stadium.
In 2020, the Jaguars presented plans to Jacksonville City Council for a $450 million, mixed-use development on the site, for which they sought $245.3 million in city incentives.
The Lot J development plan included 400 rental apartments, a 150- to 250-room hotel, 75,000 square feet of street-level retail, 40,000 square feet of Class A office space, a 750-space surface parking lot, two 350-space parking garages and a 100,000 square-foot entertainment center with bars and restaurants, as well as indoor and outdoor facilities.
In January 2021, the project failed on a 12-7 Council vote. It needed a 13-vote supermajority.
“Our interest has not changed,” Lamping said of the Lot J development. “Now, what’s going to happen there? Who’s going to develop it? When will all this occur? All three of those things are still up in the air… I’m sure something will happen on that property at some point, but it’s not at the top of our to-do list right now."
First-year head coach Liam Coen led the Jaguars to one of their best seasons in franchise history. The Jaguars clinched the AFC South for the first time since 2022, their third such achievement in franchise history. Jacksonville also earned the No. 3 seed in the NFL playoffs.
Should Coen replicate the Jaguars’ success in years to come, Lamping said, Jacksonville could elevate its profile nationwide by dominating America’s favorite and most profitable sport.
“We are unfortunately a well-kept secret to many across the country,” Lamping said. “To the degree the Jaguars are successful and the country pays more attention to football and Duval County, it’s going to raise the awareness of what a great community this is.”