Ron Salem has qualms about Jacksonville Jaguars’ ‘community benefits agreement’ in stadium deal

Though it seems the stadium agreement between the NFL’s Jaguars and the city of Jacksonville is well-positioned for now, the President of the City Council is indicating there may be a sticking point regarding a sweetener in the deal inserted by the Donna Deegan administration.

And according to opinion polling, it’s the most popular part of the proposal.

President Ron Salem is questioning the $300 million part of the plan that would offer so-called “community benefits.” The cost split would be 50/50 between the team and the city if the deal were accepted as proposed. But the second-term Republican from the Southside believes the money for workforce development, affordable housing on the Eastside and elsewhere, and park funding largely for downtown is misplaced in the stadium deal.

“It should be separate from the stadium,” Salem tells Florida Politics, adding that he expects a “significant debate” over that part of the proposal on the supermajority Republican Council “over the next couple of weeks.”

He notes the deal can’t even be amended for two weeks, meaning that the city’s $150 million proposed share on the CBA could be a sticking point that even delays the anticipated vote on the package June 25 if Council’s questions aren’t answered.

“It’s a lot of money to debate in two or three hours,” Salem said, adding that the sum would be better off “placed in the normal budget process.”

The Deegan administration still believes in the proposal as-is

“The stadium renovation and community benefits agreement were negotiated as one package and thus will be filed as a single piece of legislation. It is our hope that the City Council keeps these two pieces together as many community and business leaders have called for and which the public is overwhelmingly in favor of,” asserted spokesperson Phil Perry.

But Salem isn’t alone in his qualms. His fellow Republican Rory Diamond is also opposed to the CBA part of the proposal, and it’s not likely they will be alone by the time Council can amend the agreement.

Polling from the University of North Florida Public Opinion Research Lab (PORL) last month showed a full 56% of 667 Duval County registered voters support the deal, against 43% disapproval.

The overall appetite for the deal among those surveyed is sweetened by the $150 million community benefits agreement, money to be programmed by the city in the next few years with an eventual match by the team. A full 88% of Jags fans and 71% of nonfans support that condition.

Conversely, the city’s proposed $775 million stadium spend is the most unpalatable part of the deal’s framework, with just 41% support overall and 58% opposition. While 54% of those who say they are Jaguars fans back that part of the deal, just 21% of non-fans are supportive.