JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Plans for a new “Stadium of the Future” are part of the negotiations for the Jaguars new lease with the city. It’s been 25 years since EverBank Stadium has been remodeled. So where does the city stand on talks with the Jags?
Part of the negotiations are to build a stadium that could cost $2 billion, half of that being picked up by taxpayers. News4JAX spoke with Mayor Donna Deegan on Thursday, and she said they’ve met with the Jaguars about three times. The mayor said one of the issues being discussed is the state of the current stadium.
“I think the most important thing that is happening right now is that there is a site analysis that’s being done on the integrity of the current stadium. I was surprised to learn that that hadn’t been done earlier. We need to make sure we get that site analysis done to make sure we can get the type of lease agreement out of that stadium that we need,” Mayor Deegan said.
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The current winning streak by the Jaguars has many people excited about the future of the team and what it means to Jacksonville.
Deegan is no exception. “I’m thrilled, and I think that the excitement around it is certainly understandable. I’m thrilled to be sitting here and going into December with a shot not only at the playoffs but hey, who knows?”
There’s not a lot of information coming out about these talks, but the Jaguars want to have something in place by mid-next year. The city council would have to give its stamp of approval and they hope to see construction by 2025.