Lights and renaming Arlington Expressway: the key to Jacksonville becoming a “destination city”?

In a review of city of Jacksonville public record emails, FloridaPolitics.com has learned about a renewed push behind a proposal called IlluminateJax, which seeks to light the city skyline for Jaguars games.

This proposal, which has been kicking around for a couple of years now, seems to be in conjunction with other ambitious Jaguars’ branding initiatives, as a CONFIDENTIAL PLEASE email from realtor Margie Seaman, who represents an unnamed developer, to city officials makes clear.

Seaman writes that “the developer who we rep who is seeking to buy the Regency Mall, rename the Arlington Expressway ‘Jags Run’ and create a Jags placemaking venue in the former Belk building connecting the east and west sides of the mall, we have made great progress.  We met with the Jags (Mark Lamping), we met with DOT, and we are in conversations with the ownership, pending our offer.”

Meanwhile, the IlluminateJax initiative would ask “Jags to subsidize the cost, in part, so that owners of towers will enable the Jags to communicate Game Day messaging across our skyline.”

Theoretically, a number of apparently essential criteria would be fulfilled:

1.  Enhances City pride;

2.  With NFL Football now being broadcast three times weekly, Jacksonville has a potential GLOBAL stage for viewers if our team is broadcast. At the present, our majestic skyline disappears into darkness at sundown; with artful illumination, our skyline will be transmitted on to the global stage;

2. Corporations seeking branding opportunities can take advantage of artful lighting in their relocation negotiations;

3. The lights will enhance our perceptions of safety downtown;

4. Jacksonville could become a destination city for this reason alone. Imagine passengers landing in Jax and crowding airplane windows to see our beautifully illuminated downtown!