Duval County

Jacksonville City Council to vote on the Community Benefits Agreement part of Jags stadium deal

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Jacksonville City Council is set to decide Thursday morning if the city’s share of the $300 million proposed Community Benefits Agreement should be separated from the stadium renovations deal.

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It’s been a hotly debated topic with some city council members pointing to possible conflicts of interest in that CBA agreement.

Action News Jax asked all 19 city council members whether they planned to support the amendment to maintain funding for downtown parks in the overall deal and separate the funds intended for the Eastside.

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This is a breakdown of the feedback we got:

  • 8 members said they support a compromise amendment to keep $65 million for downtown parks in the overall stadium renovations deal
  • 7 members said they were either undecided or did not comment.
  • 4 members said they would abstain from the vote or would not be present for the meeting.

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With only a maximum of 15 voting members, 8 yeses should be enough for the amendment to pass.

Councilman Matt Carlucci praised the compromise noting it would prevent several members from potentially having to abstain from the final vote on the stadium deal.

A special committee will consider the city’s remaining $94 million share of the CBA intended for the Eastside, homelessness, affordable housing and workforce development in July.

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The city council planed one more “committee as a whole” meeting on the stadium deal at 9 a.m. The council has cancelled 2 previous meetings on the stadium deal.

The final stadium deal vote is expected Tuesday, June 25. That meeting is set to start at 3 p.m.

When it happens, Action News Jax will bring you the official vote on air and online.

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