JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The new Jacksonville Fairgrounds has received the greenlight from the city with a $17 million permit acquired Wednesday.
The project that will be located at 13611 Normandy Blvd. consists of a new 77,500 square-foot expo hall, office and amphitheater stage with accessory components. It is next to the Jacksonville Equestrian Center. After Cecil Field Naval Air Station closed in 1999, the federal government donated the land to Jacksonville.
In 2023, City Council voted to lease the 82-acre tract to the fair association for 40 years with three 10-year extensions and an option to lease another 60 acres next to it, the Florida Times-Union reported.
The fair association has a Jan. 31, 2025, closing date to sell its land in the sports complex to Jaguars owner Shad Khan and his Iguana Investments. The fairgrounds are a potential site for a University of Florida graduate campus in the downtown area. Iguana Investments signaled it would be willing to donate that land to the University of Florida.
The Greater Jacksonville Fair Association plans to use the sales proceeds to help pay for the new hall on the Westside where the association anticipates more space for growth and increasing events and activities such as concerts and 4-H youth events.
Scherer Construction of Northeast Florida LLC is the developer and Kasper Architects & Associates is designing the project. The new expo hall is expected to open in late 2025.
