16 Miles from the County Line, And It Won't Cost Us a Dime
16 Miles from the County Line, And It Won't Cost Us a Dime
What Does Jacksonville’s ‘Stadium of the Future’ Mean for Clay?
By SHELBIE GRAHAM
Great news for football fans: the Jacksonville Jaguars isn’t going anywhere anytime soon (most likely).
The Jacksonville City Council approved the $1.4 billion “stadium of the future” in a 14-1 vote that should keep the Jacksonville Jaguars in town for at least another 30 years. The deal will be sent for the NFL’s approval in October and speculation is positive.
The stadium is expected to seat 64,000 (the current EverBank Stadium seats 66,000) with the ability to expand accommodations to 71,500 for big ticket events such as the Gator Bowl, the annual college football rivalry game between the universities of Florida and Georgia.
Season-ticket holders won’t be affected until 2026, according to the Florida Times-Union. The Jaguars will still have home games at the stadium for the 2026 season, although it will be at a reduced seating capacity. For the 2027 season, the Jaguar’s home games may be somewhere else entirely – the Ben Hill Griffin “Swamp” Stadium at UF or Camping World Stadium in Orlando. The Jaguars will continue to play one home game in London each season.
Concept sketches of the stadium’s sleek design have enthralled fans, and calling it the "stadium of the future" made for great marketing. The stadium will continue to be open aired but with a translucent covering that Jaguars president Mark Lamping has described as like “wearing the shades in the sun.” The pools will be coming back, too.
During the months-long negotiations, an idea was proposed for surrounding counties to help finance the stadium. This ended up not happening. Clay isn’t paying a dime for the stadium directly. However, the stadium itself is funded through Duval’s half-cent sales tax which goes to capital improvements. So, if you shopped or dined in Jacksonville, you indirectly chipped in.
Economists are mixed whether the deal is good for the Jacksonville-area or not. Even among Keynesian1 circles, the consensus is taxpayer-funded football stadiums rarely pay off.
“Sports occupy a much bigger space in our lives than their financial footprints would dictate. That makes things difficult for a politician — you don’t want to be the mayor who lost Team X," said Michael Leeds, a sports economist and professor at Temple University, in a 2022 interview.
Football stadiums have become American cathedrals. The dazzling lights, the vibrant colors, the mascots, the carnage, the glory, the community in communion. Move over "the Lord's Day;" Sunday is for football.
In 2022, New York also paid for a $1.4 billion stadium. The state paid $600 million and Erie County (where the stadium is located) paid $250 million to keep the Buffalo Bills in town. The NFL only had to contribute $550 million, less than 40 percent.
For Jacksonville, which did not receive state funding, the deal ended up being nearly 50-50 split — each side is contributing $625 million, although the city is offering in additional $150 million in deferred maintenance to get EverBank Stadium ready for construction in 2026. Plus, the community benefits agreement, which ironically, is still being negotiated.
Well, if there is any silver lining, the deal is at the very least a great one for Clay.
The thrust of Keynesian economics is that government intervention can support and strengthen the economy.
Its entirely toooooo hot here for a open air stadium….So $1.5 BILLION and no AC in FLORIDA, I’ve only been to 2 games since day 1 and I’ll never go again till they air condition it.