Game on.
The framework of the agreement between the city and the Jacksonville Jaguars will be presented at the start of the May 14 City Council meeting, Mayor Donna Deegan’s office announced May 8.
“We have reached an agreement on the framework of a deal. The negotiating team is currently putting the final details on paper, and we will release that information as soon as it is available,” Deegan said in the statement.
The deal involves remaking EverBank Stadium into the Jaguars’ “Stadium of the Future,” for which plans were unveiled in June. The Jaguars requested a 50% cost split with the city for the project, which includes installing a clear membrane over a portion of the roof to shade all seating areas from sun and rain. Other upgrades include a mirrored facade and a wraparound concourse with lookout decks.
The initial cost estimate for the stadium was $1.4 billion. The Jaguars also rolled out plans for a surrounding entertainment district that would push the total cost of the project past $2 billion, but city officials said the district had been dropped from negotiations.
Once the framework is in hand, the city will hold a series of community meetings to gather public input on it. Council President Ron Salem says his goal is to have the Council approve the agreement before his term as president ends at the end of June.
The team has said it hopes to have a city-approved deal in hand by fall to present it during the NFL team owners’ meeting in October.
The framework is expected to be several hundred pages.
The new stadium would be downsized from 67,814 to 62,000 seats, with the ability to expand capacity to 71,500 for college football games and concerts.