The city-owned building opens nearly two years after City Council passed legislation to split the cost of the 124,767-square-foot facility on 18 acres northwest of TIAA Bank Field.
“And yet, the best is still to come. Jacksonville is rising. Our football team has great promise, and Downtown Jacksonville is begging to fulfill its potential,” Khan said.
“The Miller Electric Center is emblematic of all this and more.”
As master of ceremonies, Jaguars President Mark Lamping repeated what has become a talking point during his public appearances that the training and practice facility is the first step in the Jaguars’ goal for a “stadium of the future.”
According to the Jaguars, it will allow the team to move its training and administrative operations out of TIAA Bank Field so it can be renovated.
In June, the Jaguars released plans for a $1.3 billion to $1.4 billion stadium renovation and a nearly $600 million proposal to build an adjacent mixed-use neighborhood in the stadium district.
Deegan, who is expected to hire outside negotiators this year to help broker a public funding deal with the Jaguars for the proposed improvements, said the facility kicks off “a new era in Jaguars football.”
She said the relationship between Jacksonville and the Jaguars is a partnership and the team “has the power to bring us all together.”
“The partnership between Jacksonville and the Jaguars goes so much deeper than financial support,” Deegan said.
“It’s our shared vision for a united community and a thriving Downtown that lifts up the surrounding neighborhood. The Jacksonville renaissance is underway and I am so glad to see the Jaguars playing such a big part in it.”
Khan, Deegan and Lamping were joined to cut the ribbon by Council President Ron Salem, Jaguars General Manager Trent Baalke, Haskell Chairman, CEO and President Jim O’Leary, Miller Electric Co. CEO Henry Brown and Jaguars Head Coach Doug Pederson.
“I look forward to our shared future,” Deegan said. “And I know that no matter what it holds, we’re going to all take it a play at a time and we’re going to get it done.”
The specs
The final cost for the Miller Electric Center might be more than the $120 million quoted by the Jaguars when they pitched the concept in 2021.
At a Jaguars stadium town hall meeting June 20 at Grounds of Grace coffee shop in Arlington, Lamping said the Jaguars paid for cost overruns on the project.
The agreement with the Council called for the city and Jaguars to each pay $60 million, with the team paying for any cost increases.
City Chief Communications Office Phil Perry confirmed July 18 that the facility did cost more than $120 million to build, but the Jaguars had not completed calculations of the final figure.
Haskell was the construction manager for the Miller Electric Center. It was designed by Detroit-based architectural firm Rossetti. Miller Electric Co. secured naming rights for the facility with the Jaguars and city, but the sponsorship amount has not been disclosed.
Brown said Miller Electric installed its audiovisual, security and electrical wiring technology as well as installed the electric vehicle charging stations in the players’ parking lot.
According to Brown, Miller Electric employees worked 225,000 hours on the facility with more than 120 employees on the site, now listed as 1 Performance Place.
The Jaguars opened the training facility July 18 for a media and guest tour to showcase the 96,113-square-foot indoor practice field; two outdoor fields on 4.1 acres; and 23,563 square feet of fan amenities including a pro shop that will be open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Fridays before home games.
It has a more than 5,000-square-foot dining hall for players, a team meeting room with auditorium theater seating; weight room; rehabilitation and recovery room; and public art by local and nationally known artists.
The center’s 2,090 seats are fully shaded with nine overhead fans, an overhead speaker system and two permanent concession stands.
On July 11, the Jaguars announced 11 training camp days open to the public at Miller Electric Center with a 12th for season ticket holders.
Those dates are:
• Wednesday, July 26
• Thursday, July 27
• Friday, July 28 – season ticket member exclusive
• Saturday, July 29 – NFL Back Together Saturday featuring a gate giveaway and Teal Out
• Monday, July 31
• Tuesday, Aug. 1
• Wednesday, Aug. 2
• Thursday, Aug. 3
• Sunday, Aug. 6
• Monday, Aug. 7
• Wednesday, Aug. 9
• Thursday, Aug.10
