A.G. Gancarski
After a grueling round of committee hearings, the only question regarding the Jacksonville City Council’s approval of a $45 million investment into EverBank Field upgrades was this.
Would it be 19 to 0? Or would dissident Danny Becton stand his ground and vote against the measure, as he did in two Committees?
It turned out that it was 19 to 0, and construction on the Flex Field and the amphitheater, as well as other club seat renovations, will begin just as soon as the TaxSlayer Bowl is over.
Becton, who didn’t endear himself particularly to the Lenny Curry administration in his resistance, had been, by and large, a quiet Councilman in his four months on Council. However, he had concerns about the amphitheater deal, the 14th amendment to the Jacksonville Jaguars’ lease, including the revenue sharing aspect.
Concerns are nice. But politics in Jacksonville is a relationship business, and the facts are that Chief Administrative Officer Sam Mousa and Jags lobbyist Paul Harden run deep. Mayor Curry and Jags’ owner Shad Khan are more politically symbiotic with each passing month, and speaking of Curry, his dinner plans for Tuesday night were with Blake Bortles, who has some kind of job with the Jaguars.
Before Council discussed the matter, citizens spoke up in the public hearing.
John Winkler, of the Concerned Taxpayers of Duval County, decried the “cult mentality” that drives continual capital investment into the NFL dream. Another commenter mentioned the “artificial, so-called deadline” to start construction ASAP. And another one posited that “the city is broke,” asking Council to “huddle up” and reconsider.
From there, Council moved into approving the last round of amendments, including the city not charging a parking surcharge on its own events, and an exemption of stages in EverBank Field itself from having to face the same way as the amphitheater stage.
Then, Danny Becton spoke, commenting on his “evaluation of this bill,” and his desire to “get a better deal for this city.”
Becton contended this bill is “long on assumptions and short on guarantees.”
More revenue, he continued, was possible.
“Obviously, that was not the will of this body,” Becton continued.
Becton mentioned that he’s taken similar positions in the last few months, and anticipates taking similar positions in the years ahead.
“There’s checks that have been written, and there’s deferred payments … that are going to come true.”
However, Becton said, “it’s not about being against these facilities.”
Becton noted being a 21 year season ticket holder and on the “legacy wall” for the Jaguars.
“You’re very optimistic sitting in those seats for 21 years, hoping for a win,” said Becton, adding that he just wanted the best “bang for the buck.”
Doyle Carter spoke next, conflating the borrowed money used for this deal with bed tax funds used to service what is expected to be a quarter century of municipal debt. Somehow, Stevie Nicks came up in his soliloquy, which reminds this writer of a few stories that aren’t suitable for a family forum.
John Crescimbeni then spoke in favor of the deal, saying “we’re going to own $90 million of assets, and only pay 50 cents on the dollar for it.”
“This is a tremendous value for the city of Jacksonville,” added Crescimbeni, before going into recent bed tax receipts, saying that he’s “bullish on the numbers,” and seemingly precluding any potential future dip in bed tax revenues due to macroeconomic recessionary trends.
“We’re on the right track,” Crescimbeni added.
Katrina Brown piggybacked Crescimbeni’s comments, saying “this money can’t be used for anything else,” and that these decisions are made on “facts,” not “receiving tickets to go to the game.”
Tommy Hazouri “put on his old mayor’s hat” before saying that Khan “believes in this city,” even though he “comes and goes.”
“We know that we have a great team here. We know that we have a future for Jacksonville,” saying that the deal is “an investment well worth spending and is a great Holiday/Christmas gift for our city.”
“We can compete with St. Augustine,” Hazouri said of the amphitheater. “This will be a legacy for this council.”
Bill Gulliford noted the 21 amendments made to the bill, speculating on how much bed tax money has been generated by the Jaguars over the years.
“We desperately need that amphitheater, folks,” Gulliford said, citing that the Metropolitan Park facility is “falling apart” and is restricted to 12 annual events.
“I know down deep that there is a value,” Gulliford said, saying that he’s “all in.”
Reggie Gaffney: “What if the Jaguars leave?”
“Through education and through learning from my colleagues,” said Gaffney, “I learned that this is a [better] deal for our city.”
“If they leave, they leave us with a $90 million asset,” Gaffney concluded.
“You can’t beat that.”
Jim Love spoke of how his sons will “have so many more events” coming here, and “young people” will believe this is a “vibrant city.”
And the bill passed 19-0.
Paul Harden, after passage, noted that a turning point was an hour and a half conversation with Becton. Harden also noted that the bill passed after extensive negotiations with the administration.
“It wasn’t like we were negotiating with air,” Harden said.
Mousa, meanwhile, said that the administration is “pleased with the results.”
Meanwhile, Winkler said, regarding the 19-0 vote, that it was the best Jaguars’ victory of the season.
Skepticism aside, what opposition to the bill might have existed was largely removed. Now the story shifts to one of whether the projections about the ultimate impact of what are bound to be state of the art facilities will pan out.
Beyond the EverBank allocation, other bills of note include the following:
- The Laveranues Coles “dancing entertainment” establishment “including sale and service of alcoholic beverages”, which Coles sought approval for from the Planning Commission but was rejected, was remanded back to Planning. The issue: it was too close to another such establishment; 600 feet away, when code required a 1000 foot buffer of virtue between the two spots. The conformation of the Planning Commission has changed recently, and one expects the disposition of the body may likewise change.
- After a process that could be characterized as a giant bust, the “prohibited outdoor storage” bill, which has been kicked around in committees for months, was withdrawn without objection.
- The temporary moratorium on taxicab medallion renewals, to give Council time to work out regulations for Uber and Lyft, was approved 16-0.
