Tampa Bay Super Bowl LV Host Committee President Rob Higgins was "charged with a 'tight turn'" after the city was chosen to replace L.A. as host in '21 amid construction delays on the $5B Inglewood Stadium, according to Martin Fennelly of the TAMPA BAY TIMES. For Higgins and the city, there are "public and private monies to be gathered, 10,000 volunteers to muster, events to plan, logistics to be nailed down" and more. However, Tampa "has experience at tight turns," and Raymond James Stadium, which cost a total of $300M including its improvements, will be "hosting its third Super Bowl." Higgins "won't divulge what Tampa Bay has agreed to" for hosting. He was in Atlanta for Super Bowl LIII, and was accompanied by host committee co-Chairs Will Weatherford and Pro Football HOFer Derrick Brooks, as well as support staff and Raymond James Stadium officials. Higgins said the group was "most interested to see how the airport dealt with the worst travel day," the Monday after the game, and it "went really well." Higgins added the NFL will be "producing the official event logo" for Super Bowl LV, but the host committee is "focused" on creating its own logo (TAMPABAY.com, 2/9).
IN DUE TIME: In Jacksonville, Sam Kouvaris wondered if the city will "host another Super Bowl." Kouvaris: "The short answer is yes, but not for a while." Jaguars Owner Shad Khan said that he "doesn't see the city hosting the game anytime soon." Khan in '16 said that hosting the Super Bowl would "set Jacksonville up for failure," noting the requirements for hotels and infrastructure. Khan "has a lot of things he wants to get done before backing another Super Bowl bid." The proposed Shipyard, the Lot J entertainment district and improvements to TIAA Bank Field are "all on the list." The first league event Khan would "like to bring" to the city is the NFL Draft, with the Daily's Place amphitheater "acting as the hub" (FLORIDA TIMES-UNION, 2/10).
