A.G. Gancarski
In light of the continuing controversy over Jacksonville’s $45 million commitment to EverBank Field upgrades, the Lenny Curry administration has released statistics it says show the monetary benefit of the city’s signature event: the Florida vs. Georgia football game aka “The World’s Largest Cocktail Party.”
The impact, Curry’s office contends, is huge.
When it comes to the annual football game the city of Jacksonville has hosted for 82 consecutive years, there’s more than just yards gained and points scored on the gridiron. The citizens of Jacksonville benefit greatly from the economic wins of Florida-Georgia weekend. This year’s game, hosted Oct. 31, generated an economic impact of $35 million – a more than $2 million increase from 2014.
Nearly 140,000 tourists spent the weekend in Jacksonville hotels further enhancing city bed-tax revenue. There were 37,270 booked room nights and approximately $3.6 million was generated in total room revenue, an increase of nearly $200,000 from the previous year.
Curry, whose administration has been pilloried by populists for pouring too many resources into the Sports Complex with the ordinance passed unanimously on Tuesday, offered this quote from the Mayor:
“The positive results from the annual Florida-Georgia game underscore the importance of this event to our community. This event drives economic impact benefits and amplifies our community as a leading destination for major events.”
Paul Astleford, president and CEO of Visit Jacksonville, asserted that the “big out-of-town crowds mean big impact for our community and the visitor industry. The city has the perfect infrastructure to host big events like Florida-Georgia that attract hundreds of thousands of new visitors to experience all that Jacksonville has to offer.”
