The Jaguars need a renovated stadium. They hope to do a deal that includes roughly $1 billion from the team and $1 billion from the taxpayers.
Negotiations are moving toward an agreement, possibly in the next two months.
Via Hanna Holthaus of the Florida Times-Union, Jacksonville’s lead negotiator provided city council with an update on Tuesday night.
“They [the Jaguars] want to be here,” Weinstein told the city council. “We’d like them to be here if we can make the deal make sense for the community and for the Jaguars. . . . No major hiccups. No major problems, but it’s quite detailed.”
Meetings are occurring multiple times per week, with the goal of getting something done in early May.
Under the proposed timeline, the Jaguars would play their home games at the stadium in 2024 and 2025. In 2026, if they play in the current venue, capacity would be reduced to 45,000. In 2027, the Jaguars would have to play all home games elsewhere.
The challenge for the Jaguars — and any team looking for public money — is to find a way to get it without a public vote. If it’s up to all citizens who enter the ballot box, the answer would undoubtedly be no. By working the issue through established political channels, it’s a lot easier to get to yes.
In Jacksonville, the stakes are clear. If the deal doesn’t happen, a relocation to London becomes likely. So likely that no one from the team really needs to say it.
