JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Jaguars owner Shad Khan has announced he and his family are donating $5 million to help the Museum of Science & History build a new location at the Shipyards.
The announcement comes as city council is mulling over spending $233 million in taxpayer money on Khan’s proposed nearby Lot J development.
“When you heard about the $5 million gift to you thought what?” Action News Jax Ben Becker asked MOSH CEO Brice Fafard. “My goodness,” said Fafard. “That’s a substantial gift in moving it forward.”
But an Action News Jax investigation discovered Khan could stand to benefit from the new MOSH.
Becker first told you in October he discovered buried deep in the city’s 352-page proposed Capital Improvement Plan for fiscal year 2021-2025 a plan to borrow $20 million to “remediate the shipyards property” for a “civic site attraction.”
Becker also found on the C-I-P this line, that it “will inspire additional opportunities for redevelopment in the area.”
It could potentially include the Shipyards as well as Lot J. Khan formerly had development rights at the Shipyards before they expired in August.
“I don’t think it’s an accident in the terms of the timing,” said Kristi Sweeney, who is a sports finance and economics associate professor at the University of North Florida.
“Without Shad Khan and the Jaguars the development of the area probably doesn’t happen,” says Sweeney despite the hefty costs.
A news release from Khan said of the $5 million gift that it “reinforces Khan’s efforts to bring new development to the region, complementing his vision for Lot J.”
When Becker emailed the Jaguars to clarify if the donation is tied to getting approval from the city council for Lot J he was sent a statement that read, in part, “Shad’s gift is independent of any Lot J funding approval.”
Khan’s development company also went public last week with a proposal to build a Four Seasons hotel at Metropolitan Park.
The expectation is that the new MOSH will open in 2024.
Cox Media Group
