They’ve been through the deal with a fine-tooth comb, and now it’s a done deal.
The Jacksonville Armada soccer team is coming to the Baseball Grounds.
After easily clearing a committee last week, the lease deal between the City of Jacksonville and the Armada to use the Baseball Grounds- currently the home field of the Jacksonville Suns- as the home field stalled in two committees. Those councilmen met today, and walked through every page of the lease to make sure it was the best agreement for all parties.
Part of the concern is the urgency- the team says they need the deal approved now in order to move forward with getting the field ready for the season. The lease agreement has the City pay $300,000 in capital investments, including a removable pitcher’s mound, added signage and camera positions. The City would also pay up to $700,000 per season for a third party vendor to flip the field between the two sports as needed. Some City Councilmen would ideally like more time to review the agreement, but the team says they’re already about a month behind in preparation, so any further delay would be harmful.
Even after the committees made several changes and the full Council took up the bill, there was still a concern about something that could have been missed in the quick negotiations, however Councilmen felt they had protected the City to a great extent, and they ultimately passed the agreement.
Until this point, there has been some resistance by a few councilmen to dedicate one million dollars to the lease in a year when City departments and non-profits are facing budget cuts. Others argue, however, that the team could be a good boost for Downtown and that it’s only fair to support the Armada if they support the Suns, Sharks and Jaguars as well.
There’s also a concern about any unexpected cost the City would incur under this deal. The City’s event management company, SMG, is confident all expenses the City would need to pay for utilities for the games will be covered by what the Armada pays the City through a ticket surcharge. The team will pay a minimum of $4,000 per game through a ticket surcharge and a maximum of $10,000.
Some time was also spent sorting out parking- the lease would reserve 1700 spots in the sports complex specifically for Armada attendees. The team covers the cost of operating the lots, but also gets the revenue.
Other Councilmen were briefly concerned about naming rights- the Armada is entitled to pursue a sponsor for the field at the Baseball Grounds. That deal would ultimately be subject to Council approval. Currently, the name is Bragan Field at the Baseball Grounds. Any name the Armada secured would only apply to soccer events.
The final issue which surfaced during the full Council meeting was whether there would be restrictions on how the City could spend the ticket surcharge and ticket fees they would be paid under the lease agreement. The fees were supposed to be rolled in to an enterprise fund which is tapped for needs at the Baseball Grounds. Instead, the money will be put in a special contingency that requires a Council vote to use- whether it be for the field or for the general fund.
Armada owner Mark Frisch issued a statement to WOKV reading in part that “Playing Armada FC home games at the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville will have a positive economic impact and support efforts for downtown revitalization.” Frisch says more than 100,000 people are expected to come in to the core because of the games, although the Jacksonville Sports and Entertainment Office says that could be as high as 200,000.