JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Jacksonville voters more strongly favor the $150 million in funding for a community benefits agreement as part of the city’s deal with the Jaguars than they do the expenditure for a renovated stadium, a new University of North Florida poll found.
When asked about matching the Jaguars investment into workforce and community development, affordable housing, homelessness and parks, 81% of respondents supported the city cost. In comparison, 41% supported spending $775 million on the stadium renovation itself.
The poll released Tuesday asked 667 registered Duval County voters about various stadium-related scenarios, including if voters would withhold the funding even if it meant losing the Jaguars. Researchers found that, hypothetically, 58% would rather spend the projected stadium money on other city priorities, such as a new county jail, infrastructure improvements or paying down the pension debt.
“This is obviously a purely hypothetical question, since we don’t get to pick and choose the way public funds are allocated, but when it really comes down to it, if they had their way, most people would rather spend their tax money on something else besides the stadium,” Michael Binder, the UNF Public Opinion Research Lab director, said.
Mayor Donna Deegan presented the framework of a stadium deal, which includes the community benefits agreement, to City Council earlier this month. She has since started a series of town halls to answer residents’ questions and sell the idea of a $755 million city investment in a renovated EverBank Stadium.
Under the deal negotiated between the mayor’s office and the Jaguars, the city would foot 55% of the renovation bill, including maintenance on the current structure, and the team would renew its 30 year lease of the space.
The mayor's office and the Jaguars released a statement Tuesday in response to the poll supporting the community benefits agreement. They urged City Council to "approve this once-in-a-generation investment."
"The community benefits agreement is an integral component of the overall package providing a smart way to get long overdue key investments done now that will positively impact all residents," the statement reads. "The respondents see the wisdom of making the city investment up front, which will pay dividends over decades to come. It locks in construction contracts before prices increase. The significant long-term financial support from the Jaguars will sustain these programs over time. It’s a win-win."
The City Council president hoped to vote on the deal June 25, but the exact date of the vote is still undetermined.
Voters support referendum on stadium spending
Combining the community benefits agreement with the renovation costs caused overall support of the deal to jump to 56%.
Still, 72% of respondents said they would prefer to vote on the spending in a referendum, which Deegan has repeatedly spoken against.
“As your mayor, it is my responsibility to make difficult decisions,” she said at a May 20 town hall. “It is the city’s responsibility, the council’s responsibility, to have a representative government. If we put every difficult decision up to a referendum in this city, we wouldn’t get anything done.”
Deegan will conclude her town hall meetings this week with events on Wednesday at Sandalwood High School and Thursday at Westside High School. The meetings are scheduled to run from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
This report first appeared on First Coast News news partner The Florida Times-Union.
The following video is from a previous newscast.
