Folio's counter to EverBank and Shad Khan

[Tacachale]

Ken stated, correctly, that the majority (2/3) of the bed tax money goes to the stadium district. 1/3 goes to debt service on the original Everbank construction (ie, to the stadium) and 1/3 goes to the capital improvements fund for the stadium district (of which Everbank is a major part).

It's never been clear exactly how the capital money has been spent; whether there was enough in the bank to cover the 2014 improvements or whether we were going to bond it out. It's of course totally possible, if not probable, that we could have gotten the same thing without Mayor Brown coughing up so much bed tax money and without us being on the hook to cover the extra Florida-Georgia seating.

[Cheshire Cat]

Looks like another 1.6 million a year will be used according to the News4Jax  in the attached piece.  Apparently this is a new revelation coming after the jumbo tron.

KSONVILLE, Fla. -
City leaders learned Thursday the city will be paying $1.6 million a year to add more seats to EverBank Field for the annual Florida-Georgia game.

It's a surprise that came as result of the stadium improvements of the video boards, swimming pools and cabanas.

The cost was approved reluctantly because city leaders believe there was no choice. They have taken some money from the mayor's special projects, such as his open house and job fair, to pay for the seats.

  http://www.news4jax.com/news/city-to-pay-more-for-extra-floridageorgia-seats/27665424

[Charles Hunter]

There was discussion of this when the renovations were approved.  Guess the City Council wasn't paying attention (what a surprise!)  Of course they have to put in temporary seats to meet the FL/GA contract.  Hope they securely cover those pools - don't want to add drowning in the stadium to the way GA/FL drunks kill themselves or each other.

[TheCat]

Ken stated, correctly, that the majority (2/3) of the bed tax money goes to the stadium district. 1/3 goes to debt service on the original Everbank construction (ie, to the stadium) and 1/3 goes to the capital improvements fund for the stadium district (of which Everbank is a major part).

It's never been clear exactly how the capital money has been spent; whether there was enough in the bank to cover the 2014 improvements or whether we were going to bond it out. It's of course totally possible, if not probable, that we could have gotten the same thing without Mayor Brown coughing up so much bed tax money and without us being on the hook to cover the extra Florida-Georgia seating.

We are bonding 2014 scoreboard and renovations. I don't think it's been fully bonded, yet.

I have some documentation that I will be posting in the next few days.

[Tacachale]

There was discussion of this when the renovations were approved.  Guess the City Council wasn't paying attention (what a surprise!)  Of course they have to put in temporary seats to meet the FL/GA contract.  Hope they securely cover those pools - don't want to add drowning in the stadium to the way GA/FL drunks kill themselves or each other.

This is the Mayor's job, he should have been on top of this, and lo and behold, he screwed up again.

[Cheshire Cat]

Or he did exactly what he was told to do Tacachale.  The oops I didn't know routine while knowing the entire time. 

[Buforddawg]

How much increase in tax revenues does the city get during FL/GA game?   The city should add a seat tax to pay for adding the additional seats or maybe it's time to start alternating the games between Jacksonville and Atlanta.  Yes, I went there.

[Tacachale]

So you'd get rid of an event that brings in millions of dollars for no gain? Brilliant.

[Non-RedNeck Westsider]

The increase in cost is not because of the renovations to the stadium, but due to demands from both of the schools to upgrade from the seating we normally provided to include "all seating" to have both backs and cupholders. 

It's not in the contract, but we run the risk of losing the game if they don't get what they want.

Quit trying to pin this on the Jags and the scoreboards when ALL of the blame goes straight to the schools for strong-arming the city.  And like Taca said, are you really going to cry over a $1M for an even that brings in 10s of millions? 

Spiting your face by cutting off your nose has never been the best plan. And the paper is also pulling a number out of their ass reporting that the $1.6M is 5 times the previous amount, and that doesn't sound right to me.  I've looked it up before, but haven't been able to dig it up this morning, but if memory serves correctly, the cost of the original temporary seating was somewhere around $650-700k.

[TheCat]

How much increase in tax revenues does the city get during FL/GA game?   The city should add a seat tax to pay for adding the additional seats or maybe it's time to start alternating the games between Jacksonville and Atlanta.  Yes, I went there.

stone him.

[Wacca Pilatka]

The increase in cost is not because of the renovations to the stadium, but due to demands from both of the schools to upgrade from the seating we normally provided to include "all seating" to have both backs and cupholders. 

It's not in the contract, but we run the risk of losing the game if they don't get what they want.

Quit trying to pin this on the Jags and the scoreboards when ALL of the blame goes straight to the schools for strong-arming the city.  And like Taca said, are you really going to cry over a $1M for an even that brings in 10s of millions? 

Spiting your face by cutting off your nose has never been the best plan. And the paper is also pulling a number out of their ass reporting that the $1.6M is 5 times the previous amount, and that doesn't sound right to me.  I've looked it up before, but haven't been able to dig it up this morning, but if memory serves correctly, the cost of the original temporary seating was somewhere around $650-700k.

Given the Jacksonville media's history of nominating Urban Meyer for sainthood while ignoring 27 Gator arrests during his tenure, Aaron Hernandez doing everything short of holding up Fort Knox, et al. while casting the Jaguars as a gang of thugs, it's no surprise that they're disinclined to point the finger at the university from 75 miles away that they inexplicably think is the "pride of Jacksonville." 

The way News4Jax presented this is absurd, as though the sole issue is that no one saw the need for extra seating coming.

And yes, you're correct about the $650-$700k original cost.  There was a lot of griping when that original number was reported.