‘Mind-boggling’: Activist group says no to Jax stadium, jail without conditions

While Jacksonville appears to be headed toward renovating the Jaguars’ stadium in the coming years, there is some conceptual resistance to that and another big-ticket project from one activist group.

The Northside Coalition of Jacksonville (NCOJ) opposes the capital projects, unless more money is allocated to what NCOJ President Kelly Frazier calls “an Even Better Jacksonville Plan,” described as a “Marshall Plan” for revitalization of the city’s neglected neighborhoods.

“It is mind-boggling that public officials want to spend $775 million on a renovated football stadium and $1 billion on a new jail when the broken promises of consolidation are still hanging over their heads. The ‘Community Benefits Agreement’ is the best part of the stadium contract, but many millions more must be invested in underserved areas,” Frazier said.

Community benefits in the proposal include construction workforce development programs, prioritizing local vendors and accepting goals of the Jacksonville Small and Emerging Business Program, along with $300 million in shared costs for the Outeast neighborhood abutting the stadium, workforce development and parks. The Jaguars’ share of that is to be doled out over 30 years should the plan be approved by the City Council.

That’s not enough for NCOJ.

“We call for an ‘Even Better Jacksonville’ plan, one that would include millions for neglected parts of the city. If the city wants a luxury item like a renovated stadium along with a new jail, it must agree to massive investments in underserved areas to help make up for the sins of the past that still haunt us today.”

The $1.25 billion deal is proposed to be a 50/50 split, with the Jaguars agreeing to cover all cost overruns in a “much larger commitment than they originally proposed,” per Deegan. Jacksonville will also be on the hook for $150 million in deferred maintenance costs, bringing the total cost to $1.4 billion, and the actual split to 55/45.

The scheme’s financing relies on deferring a pension tax expected to take effect in the next couple of years, per the Mayor’s Office, moving legacy projects back to that allocation (still dedicated to the “Better Jacksonville Plan” approved when John Delaney was Mayor) and using a big chunk of the next four capital improvement plans to fund the stadium.

While NCOJ offers no opinion on that move that would defer a current half-cent sales tax being allocated to legacy pension costs from a plan closed to new entrants nearly a decade ago, City Council members are exploring whether that’s viable.

President Ron Salem said on Thursday’s “First Coast Connect” that auditors were looking at the financing currently, calling it an “intriguing” proposal, but wondering what the “repercussions” would be for the pension debt, which is north of $3 billion.

Meanwhile, a new jail could cost up to a billion dollars in currently valued money, more than the cost of stadium renovations, but like those renovations, well overdue.

The City Council’s Special Committee of the Council to Review JSO Primary Facilities produced a report in favor of a new facility, which is a priority of Sheriff T.K. Waters.

“The overcapacity of the facility, as well as the outdated infrastructure, unwelcoming design features, and lack of adequate, modern staff amenities have hindered JSO’s ability to recruit and retain correctional officers and staff,” the report noted.

We have reached out to Mayor Donna Deegan for comment, and will update if we get it.