JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – In a little more than a month, Jacksonville should have more details of the proposed plan for stadium upgrades at EverBank.
This follows news that voters in Kansas City rejected a sales tax plan that would have paid for upgrades to their football stadium.
However, it doesn’t appear voters here will have a direct say on who should pay.
Meetings have been ongoing about the Stadium of the Future, and there will be many more before we know what the next steps will be for stadium renovations.
We know the cost of upgrades to EverBank are going to run nearly $1.4 billion and will be split between the city and the Jaguars.
Some voters told News4JAX that they believe they should have some say and would like to see a referendum on the matter, just like Kansas City did with their sports complex.
“Absolutely, that’s a lot of money and it’s our money. We should have a say in it. I think we should have a referendum on that and a vote on the matter,” one Jacksonville voter told us.
But city leaders like Councilman Matt Carlucci say that’s not likely. “I believe that the people elected city council members and the mayor to make these kinds of decisions. I don’t think putting it on a referendum is a good idea,” he said.
How this will play out in Jacksonville should be known in about 40 days. There have been some meetings this week about the stadium, and the city’s chief negotiator, Mike Weinstein, says they are getting close.
“We have a target. It may be doable, it may be pushed a little bit. Our target now is the first council meeting in May -- May 14. The idea is to possibly have it filed and presented to council as a package,” Weinstein said.
On Wednesday, Mayor Donna Deegan told News4JAX anchor and political reporter Kent Justice that Jacksonville residents will have some say on what should be done.
“We’ll start some community meetings where we go and share that with the community, as we promised we would do,” Deegan said.
And, there is more than just the cost being discussed.
“There are many, many pieces. Parking, security, finances, there’s construction schedule, many pieces to it besides just what the obligation will be to the Jaguars and what the obligation will be to the city,” Weinstein said.
If the city council signs off on it this summer, we won’t really know if there’s a deal until the NFL owners sign off on it and that may not happen until October.