The Jacksonville city council approved Tuesday night a $1.4 billion funding agreement with the Jaguars to renovate EverBank Stadium.
The renovations will begin after the 2025 season. The city of Jacksonville agreed to contribute $775 million in public funding, while the Jaguars will provide $625 million.
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City council members approved the renovations in a 14-1 vote with two abstentions. The agreement also must be approved by 24 of the NFL’s 32 team owners at the owner’s meetings in October.
“The belief and determination of Delores and Wayne Weaver to make the Jacksonville Jaguars a reality more than 30 years ago was reaffirmed today by the leadership of Mayor Donna Deegan, her team and the Jacksonville City Council,” Jaguars owner Shad Khan said in a statement. “The message then, and now, should be clear. Never doubt Jacksonville!”
Following Tuesday’s approval, the Jaguars released renderings of the renovated stadium and a timeline for the project. EverBank Stadium will have a limited capacity of 43,500 seats during the 2026 season, while the Jaguars will play at an alternate venue in 2027 that has yet to be decided.
The team plans to play in the renovated stadium beginning in 2028.
#DUUUVAL for the long haul! pic.twitter.com/XviBOn2INT
— Jacksonville Jaguars (@Jaguars) June 25, 2024
— Jacksonville Jaguars (@Jaguars) June 25, 2024
EverBank Stadium, which has been home to the Jaguars since 1995, has a current seating capacity of 67,838.
The agreement shuts down speculation that the team could relocate to London, where Khan owns Fulham F.C. of the Premier League. The Jaguars have played in London 11 times and committed in 2012 to participating in the NFL London Games for multiple years.
In 2024, the Jaguars will play the Chicago Bears at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Oct. 13 and the New England Patriots at Wembley Stadium on Oct. 20.
News of the team’s renovation plan comes one day after the Charlotte city council approved an $800 million renovation for the Panthers’ Bank of America Stadium.
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(Photo: Nathan Ray Seebeck / USA Today)