JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The City Council voted Tuesday to amend the option and sale agreements for the Jacksonville Armada's proposed stadium, clearing one more hurdle in the soccer team's path to constructing a new permanent home on the Eastside.
The ordinance, 2024-68, extends the start date for stadium construction to July 31 and moves the completion deadline back to March 1, 2026, extensions of six and seven months, respectively.
Under the original land option deal between the city and Armada owner RP Sports Investments that was reached in early 2020, the Armada had until July 31, 2025, to complete the venue. That timeline, however, encountered disruption from the coronavirus pandemic as well as the franchise's search for a professional league.
The Armada in November announced its planned move to the third-level MLS Next, which is operated by Major League Soccer, and also released renderings of its proposed stadium less than a mile north of the sports complex.
Other stipulations in the ordinance reduce the square footage of the venue's proposed office space from 25,000 to 10,000 and specify additional details for parking usage at the stadium upon construction.
Under the terms of the modified agreement, RP Sports Investments must provide at least 531 parking spaces for the Jaguars' NFL games as well as the annual Florida-Georgia game at EverBank Stadium, which normally draws the city's largest crowds of the year.
The Armada played in the North American Soccer League from 2015 to 2017, and has competed for the last six years outside the fully professional game with an Under-23 squad in the National Premier Soccer League.
The following video is from a previous newscast.