A new outdoor amphitheater and indoor Jaguars practice facility "will stand next to EverBank Field as soon as next fall after the Jacksonville City Council unanimously approved a deal to split the cost" of the $90M project with the team, according to a front-page piece by Christopher Hong of the FLORIDA TIMES-UNION. The council’s approval also included an "upgrade to the stadium’s club seating section." The Jaguars expect to "begin construction early next month." The amphitheater will "contain roughly 5,000 fixed seats and additional ground seating," and the practice field "will also be able to host events." The club seat renovations will be "complete by the first preseason game next year, and the amphitheater and indoor practice facility will be complete in the early fall." The city will borrow $45M to "pay for the upgrades and pay off the debt" with a special bed tax. Under the plan, the Jaguars and team Owner Shahid Khan's company American Thunder LLC would "cover all operating costs for the two new venues and keep all ticket, concession and other revenues earned from events, except for a ticket and parking surcharge that the city would keep." The city would "own both new venues." While the deal "encountered little opposition from council members, their auditors raised concerns that the project could in the short-term deplete the remaining amount of the bed tax, which pays for maintenance" to EverBank Field, the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville and Veterans Memorial Arena. Top officials from Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry's office said that he will try to "raise ticket surcharges at the arena and baseball stadium early next year and that money could be used to maintain those facilities" (FLORIDA TIMES-UNION, 12/9).
