ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. — The St. Johns County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously Tuesday to pursue a possible public-private partnership with JAXUSL, the group that wants to bring a proposed 15-field community sportsplex and professional training site in Northern St. Johns County.
During the Board of Commissioners meeting, JAXUSL President & CEO Steve Livingstone shared renderings of the estimated $30 million facility.
The proposed community sportsplex, located off County Road 16A, forms part of the county’s current Four Parks Master Plan Project and would feature up to nine natural grass soccer fields, five multipurpose synthetic turf fields (soccer, baseball, lacrosse), one pro turf soccer field, and an eight-lane athletics track and mini stadium suitable for Special Olympics and regional events with bleacher seating for up to 3,000 spectators.
The multi-use site would also be home to the professional soccer club's training headquarters.
JAXUSL’s proposal for the sportsplex includes full community access to the fields and park facilities, which would also include walking trails, playground and picnic areas, a pavilion, concessions and public parking.
The proposal is contingent on the team obtaining an additional 33-acres of land owned by the Florida Department of Transportation.
JAX USL says it would swap parcels of land with FDOT.
St. Johns County Commissioner Christian Whitehurst said he's excited about the proposal, but the land swap needs to happen for it to work.
“We need to figure out the viability of that land swap because as it stands now the plan for the Florida Department of Transportation is using the 33-acre parcel that they want to use to build ballfields as a pond site. Well, if FDOT doesn’t need that pond site and they’re willing to swap the parcels and we can make all the folks happy then perhaps we can move forward," Whitehurst said.
For JAX USL the 33-acres could make or break the proposal and the impact the team believes the complex will have.
“Anything 12 fields plus then presents opportunities for the county. Essentially bringing in large regional and national youth sports tournaments and that’s something kind of bypassing St. Johns County now, going to Orlando and Atlanta,” Livingstone said.
Livingstone said if the land swap goes through, he thinks construction can start at the end of the year.
The company’s goal is to bring competitive USL Championship and USL Super League action to the First Coast by 2025/2026 and to work with local authorities in the development of a 15,000-capacity stadium and training facilities to host the club in Northeast Florida.
For more information, visit www.jaxusl.com.
