JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Jaguars fans were hoping to still be talking about our team in the AFC Championship this weekend.
Instead, it’s already the off-season and a big one. Mayor Donna Deegan said she hoped to have some kind of a stadium deal before summer. She told Action News Jax’s John Bachman that despite missing the playoffs, the Jags deal is still on schedule.
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“The Jags disappointing and not being in the playoffs did not help me do my job,” Deegan told Bachman. “[But] it really doesn’t [affect stadium negotiations] aside from the fact that it’s going to be a little bit more of a sell than I think of having the elation of being in the playoffs and possible Super Bowl contender. We’re continuing a pace in those contract negotiations, you know, that is going along exactly as we planned.”
Deegan said the city is working to figure out where the costs are. Big picture: The idea is a billion dollars of city money for stadium renovations and developing an entertainment district.
“You have to at least know who you have and what you’re talking about in terms of, you know, who’s going to pay for what and what exactly that’s going to look like. So, I think that’s where we are right now,” the mayor said.
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The mayor said things are going well, and she’s optimistic there will be a framework of an agreement as early as this spring.
“Once we start to get a framework in place, we’re going to need a certain period of time to basically do what we did at the beginning of the administration and go into all the different, you know, communities and talk about what people are thinking about it and answer their call,” Deegan said.
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Right now, the city is still evaluating the state of the stadium.
“I mean, that’s been a process too, so some of those answers will depend on the state of the current stadium,” Deegan explained. “So, we’re working through that relatively quickly, and I should have an update here in the next few weeks.”
The mayor and Bachman covered a lot of ground, including her administration’s efforts to improve the permitting process in Jacksonville.
You can watch the whole interview Sunday morning on “This Week in the 904″ twice on CBS47 at 4:30 a.m. and 6:30 a.m. and on FOX30 at 10 a.m.
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