JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The teams negotiating a deal for a renovated EverBank Stadium are now meeting multiple times a week in the hope of presenting City Council a tentative agreement in early May.
Mike Weinstein, the city’s lead negotiator, gave council an update Tuesday night, giving members a timeline moving forward and touching on topics ranging from financing to the amount of seasons the team could play away from home during construction.
“They [the Jaguars] want to be here,” Weinstein told 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.”
The Jaguars announced plans for the renovated city-owned stadium in June, showing renderings of a stadium with a fixed roof, added elevators and escalators and a mirrored material along the outside.
The city chose its negotiating team in August and began meeting shortly after. The Jaguars told the Times-Union Wednesday that the team was "satisfied with how the negotiations are going."
Here’s some of what Weinstein says still has to be decided:
How long will the Jaguars play away?
The team will play in EverBank Stadium during the 2024 and 2025 seasons, but the 2026 season is still in question.
If the team played at home in 2026, the stadium could only fit around 45,000 people, instead of the projected 60,000 after renovations. The team will, however, have to play away during home games in 2027 if sticking to the current timeline.
The outcome will depend on construction issues yet to be decided, Weinstein said.
To keep the team playing at home for longer, the city will have to continue upkeep on the current stadium. Weinstein said he will bring projects to council, including to potentially level off parts of the parking lots, specifically Lot J.
“So it's not as if we just sit back and let the facility continue to operate without having to deal with it and make things happen, so the Jaguars and other events can happen there,” Weinstein said.
How could a deal affect the surrounding community?
The groups are still deciding on the specifics of the “community benefit agreement” which will serve for developing the area around the stadium, specifically the Eastside.
When the Jaguars announced renovation plans, they included designs for a “sports entertainment district.”
The community benefit agreement will likely differ from what the Jaguars originally proposed, but Weinstein said it will bring improvements to the Eastside.
“So a lot of things will be … happening outside the stadium itself that will benefit more than the people that just go to the game,” Weinstein said. “It'll benefit the whole community and particularly focus on the Eastside.”
What’s the timeline?
Salem will begin meeting with Weinstein, Jaguars President Mark Lamping and council consultant Michael Huyghue weekly to receive direct negotiation updates.
Once Weinstein brings a tentative agreement in May, he said council can take as much time as it needs to review it. Salem specifically requested a 60 day council cycle to amend the deal.
During that time, the city will request community feedback through its own events, much like the Jaguars did after announcing their design plans.
To reach a deal, the city, the team, City Council and 75% of NFL owners will have to agree. The Jaguars will not be able to finalize a deal in time for the national spring owners’ meeting, but Weinstein said they will either take the deal to the NFL during the October meeting or request a special meeting during the year.
As each entity comes closer to an agreement, City Council will have a year, potentially up to a year and a half, to discuss financing options. Weinstein recently floated the idea of borrowing money from the city’s pension funds to be paid back at the interest rates that match the fund’s investment targets, but the idea is still in the exploration phase.
Giving the council time to decide on a payment method could also mean more options, Weinstein said.
“Some of the tools may not even be available in a year and a half,” Weinstein said, referring to ways of paying for the renovation. “Some new tools might be available in a year and a half. So we don't want to get distracted on how we're going to pay for it at the very beginning because how we pay for it, if you decide to do it, will be decided later on.”
Weinstein said he would likely increase his visits to City Council as the teams come closer to an agreement.