JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Jacksonville City Council voted unanimously on the funding of a multi-million dollar amphitheater to be built next to Everbank Field on Tuesday.
The 19-0 vote Tuesday night confirmed the plans for a three-pronged project with construction of a new amphitheater and a covered flex field as well as renovations of the club seats at EverBank Field.
The bill for this construction will be split between the city and Jaguars’ owner, Shad Khan, with a combined investment of $90 million, with no General Fund dollars being expended by the City. Now that funding is approved construction should begin as early as January.
“We have worked diligently over the years to improve EverBank Field, in every respect, to make it one of the best stadiums in the NFL for the Jaguars and our fans, and to enhance the entire Sports Complex so we are an undisputed destination for world class sports and entertainment events,” said Jaguars Owner, Shad Khan. “Today’s news is a major step forward in our continuing effort to establish Jacksonville as the best of the best.”
The goal for the project is to help bring more events and people to downtown, to improve the quality of life in Jacksonville, and to improve the experience around Jaguars game weekends and other events at EverBank Field.
The creation of a new 5,000-fixed-seat amphitheater and a multi-purpose covered field will attract more concerts, shows and events to Jacksonville. The facility can also be used as part of events taking place inside EverBank Field.
“Our mandate to provide best-in-class facilities, amenities and service for our fans and community is further realized with today’s news,” said Jaguars President, Mark Lamping. “This project and these facilities will allow us all to imagine new possibilities for events and entertainment in downtown and in the Sports Complex area, attracting fans of football, concerts, the arts and many other interests.”
The covered flex field is designed so that it can also be used for Jaguars football practices when needed, and for hospitality, activation and fan engagement events as well as Jacksonville community events throughout the year.
Councilman, Bill Gulliford agrees the amphitheater could be an improvement.
“Metropolitan Park is not an alternative for the kind of performances that an amphitheater has,” Gulliford said. “We’ve tried to do that, we have impediments because of agreement with state of Florida limiting the number of events.”
There has been some opposition to this project, particularly how quickly the city will move on this. News4Jax received an email from the group, Concerned Taxpayers of Duval County expressing extensive criticisms of how this process has been handled by the city.
John Winkler, president, Concerned Taxpayers of Duval County stated in the email, “Our opposition to the present bill can be largely summarized in the aphorism, ‘haste makes waste.”’