The Mayor’s Budget Review Committee took a procedural motion Oct. 26 to advance $208.3 million city debt funding for Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shad Khan’s proposed Lot J project.
The 7-0 committee vote comes as City Council President Tommy Hazouri told WJCT News that he intends to introduce legislation Oct. 27 to approve the city’s portion of the mixed-use development’s estimated $466.6 million total cost.
Hazouri declined to introduce Ordinance 2020-0648 on Oct. 13 because Mayor Lenny Curry’s staff still was negotiating a parking agreement for Lot J, causing him to consider the bill incomplete.
He said on First Coast Connectwith Melissa Ross on Oct. 26 that a Council of the Whole hearing on the Lot J bill, tentatively scheduled for Nov. 5, could last four to five hours.
“I want the public to know that we are not going to stop until we’ve exhausted every question and get every answer from the Jaguars and the developers and the (Curry) administration, or Council auditor and general counsel,” Hazouri said.
Council Finance Committee Chair Matt Carlucci and Vice Chair Randy DeFoor will hold a virtual town hall meeting on the Lot J proposal at 5 p.m. Oct. 29. Representatives of the Jaguars development team will give a presentation and the public can participate.
Read the rest of this story from WJCT News partner the Jacksonville Daily Record.
