Florida Blue, a corporate partner of the Florida Theatre since 2006, has renewed its annual support of the historic arts and entertainment venue Downtown.
Asked for details about the partnership, the theater didn’t respond.
“Florida Blue and Florida Theatre share a mission to enhance our community’s quality of life. We love supporting the Florida Theatre because it makes our community such a vibrant place to live. There is nothing quite like the unique, historic Jacksonville landmark that is Florida Theatre,” said Darnell Smith, Florida Blue market president, in a news release.
Florida Theatre President Numa Saisselin said the theater earns 85% of its annual budget from its business activities.
“Support from the business community, like our returning corporate partner Florida Blue, helps to close that small budget gap every year and keep the Florida Theatre and its programs something special for our community,” Saisselin said in the release.
Also, preparing for a $10 million renovation to be complete before the theater’s 100th anniversary in 2027, the seats in the auditorium that were installed when the theater was revived by the Arts Assembly of Jacksonville in 1983 are for sale.
The seats will be replaced with larger and historically accurate seats as part of the renovation.
Other planned improvements include new stage lighting, an enhanced sound system, new HVAC, improvements to the restrooms and an expansion of the space behind the balcony.
Visit https://floridatheatre.com/event/limited-time-offer-buy-an-old-seat/ for details about purchasing seats.