JACKSONVILLE, Fla — The city of Jacksonville will likely spend $2.2 million this year to install new LED lights at TIAA Bank Stadium that comply with new standards implemented by the NFL and make repairs to the aging facility’s drainage system, elevators and escalators.
Mayor Lenny Curry has proposed paying for the upgrades with the city’s general fund, which is funded largely by local taxpayers, pays for essential services and could face significant financial pressures from the pandemic-related shutdown that has gripped the nation for nearly two months.
Despite an uncertain economic future that Curry has said will force the city to make tough spending decisions, he has introduced emergency legislation for the $2.2 million expenditure that could be fast-tracked to a vote in two weeks, saying the upgrades need to be made before the start of this year’s NFL season.
Although the Jaguars keep nearly all of football-generated profits, the city owns the stadium and is responsible for its upkeep. The city pays the stadium’s maintenance costs and has also invested tens of millions in recent years on projects designed to enhance the stadium’s appeal to fans and profitability for team owner Shad Khan, like the end zone pools, jumbo video scoreboards and the amphitheater and outdoor practice facility next to the stadium, for which the city covered $45 million of the $90 million cost to build.
The city collects a surcharge on ticket sales and parking fees to help cover the maintenance costs of the venues, and it also uses a portion of a special tourist tax levied on hotel guests to help cover these costs.
However, the city decided in 2015 to use the portion of the tourism tax previously dedicated to maintaining the sports complex, which includes the football stadium, the city’s baseball stadium and VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena, to also cover the construction costs of the amphitheater and outdoor practice facility. At the time, the private operator in charge of running the city-owned facilities estimated more than $72 million worth of maintenance would be needed in the next five years.
In the current budget, the city expected to receive $8 million from the tourism tax. It budgeted $2.8 million on maintenance for the three facilities that make up the sports complex, while it budgeted $2.1 million to cover the debt payments for the amphitheater and practice field construction and $3.2 million for debt payments for money related to other stadium improvements.
The city expected to collect an additional $3.6 million from ticket surcharges, and it budgeted $1.9 million of that amount for improvements at the football stadium.
According to Curry’s office, the city needs additional money from the general fund to cover the additional upgrades.
Council committees could review the legislation as early as next week, and the full council could vote on it as early as its next meeting on May 26.
