Jacksonville Fairgrounds locations could become new UF campus after move to Westside

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Millions of dollars proposed in Mayor Donna Deegan’s budget guarantees the Jacksonville Fairgrounds will move to the westside, but what will take its place is still up in the air.

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Action News Jax’s Robert Grant reported that a University of Florida campus is only one of many possibilities for this space.

More than $16 million are proposed for the fairgrounds move and nearly $44 million for the construction of a new site.

“There are a number of things in this year’s budget that are things we promised to do. Things that we needed to fund because that move is necessary,” Deegan explained.

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Mayor Deegan spoke with Action News Jax’s radio partners at WOKV. The site, which is part of the sports complex, is being considered for a University of Florida graduate campus.

“So, we are still looking at that, but absolutely, all of that is still moving forward,” Deegan said.

The last Jacksonville Fair to take over the old site is in November. Then, it will be sold to the Jacksonville Jaguars, with a closing date next January. After that, it could become the future site of the University of Florida campus, but that isn’t the only location UF is considering.

Mayor Deegan said a location close to the Prime Osborn Convention Center is also an option, along with a semi-conductor institute, which could be near the UF campus.

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The mayor said Jacksonville is in a strong position to get hundreds of millions through the Chip Act, which aims to lure microchip manufacturers back to the U.S.

“It provides our citizens with an opportunity, a big opportunity, to be able to be in an industry that’s really an industry of the future,” Deegan explained.

There hasn’t yet been an announcement about the federal dollars. Grant asked UF about a possible timeline for construction and where it intends to break ground in Jacksonville. We are still waiting to hear back.

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