JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The City Council has held off on voting Tuesday night on an issue that could affect ads on the outside of the Veterans Memorial Arena.
Some council members have criticized the signs, but others say the ads bring in much needed revenue for the city.
News4Jax has learned that at least one of the signs is in violation of a Florida Statue because it is visible from the Hart Bridge and has not been permitted by the Department of Transportation. DOT issued a letter to the city April 13 saying that the city had 30 days to either obtain a permit for the sign, remove the sign or show documentation of an exemption to the statute.
In the meantime, the law firm advertising with the signs is firing back at the city, claiming the city violated a confidentiality clause in its partnership with Hunt, Green & James.
"There's been some things done where we think our brand may have been tarnished by a small faction of City Council members, by a few City Council members and some actions they took," Nick James said. "We don't want a lawsuit against the city. We're trying to work with them as a partner."
The law firm said it will end its sponsorship agreement with the Arena effective April 30, but demanded that the monies paid for the sponsorship be repaid to the firm. Because of the alleged confidentiality violation and other alleged contract breaches, Hunt, Green & James is also demanding that the signs on the Arena stay up until April 30, 2016 at no charge to the law firm.
The firm also demanded that it be allowed to keep its suite at the Arena and that it receive a $20,000 annual beverage credit from May 1, 2015 to April 30, 2016. The firm said if the demands are met, the firm will waive its right to pursue lawsuits for breach of contract and damages.
At Tuesday night's City Council meeting, the council will face two choices. Councilmen Bill Bishop and Richard Clark each want changes made to what ads can be placed at the Arena. However, they have very different visions.
"The arena was never intended to have signage on the outside of it, if you go back to its original construction and the original dedication to the veterans," Bishop said.
Bishop wants these signs removed completely from the Arena. He introduced a bill that would change the zoning of the Arena, which would change the restrictions on advertisements.
"What my bill does going forward, is it would take the Aarena out of the sports overlay zone, which then by default puts it back in the downtown overlay zone, which means anything that happens has to be done with the downtown development review board approval," said Bishop.
Clark made an amendment to the bill that would still allow some signage but would limit the size and scope.
Bishop said the Arena doesn't need to be kept in the same zoning area as the sports complex, saying it's a more iconic structure.
"Even though some of them would come down, the amount of square footage of signage would still be larger than what's allowed under the downtown rules and it would in a sense allow off-site signage, which means you could stick who knows what up there," said Bishop.
SMG, the company that manages the arena, has not responded to a request for comment.
News4Jax also reached out to viewers on Facebook and the majority of veterans we heard from say they don't mind the advertising at the arena.
"I am a veteran and I don't think it is something to have council meetings over. There are other arenas all over the country that have advertisements on them but say the building is aesthetically well made doesn't mean our Arena can't put up the signage. As a veteran I think they should leave them up," said David Sifuentes.
"What is so memorial about the building to veterans? Whatever the name is, all it is, is a building for concerts, games, circus and other venues. Now, put that sign on the memorial wall down the street where the names of men and women are listed that died while serving their country, then that's an issue," added Stephen Valdes.
Last week, Hunt, Green & James released a statement about the committee's decision, saying that the firm has conducted polling that shows Jacksonville citizens favor the signs over increased ticket prices, having fewer events, cutting other city services or increasing taxes to cover the loss of revenue.
"The citizens of Jacksonville do not want the signage at Veterans Memorial Arena taken down," the statement said. "A small, politically motivated subsection of the city council does. Unfortunately, as is often the case with politically motivated individuals, a few elected officials are willing to pursue personal gains over the best interests of the city."
The City Council will revisit whether to adopt Bishop's original bill or the version with Clark's amendment when they meet again on May 12.