You may notice a bump the next time you go to an event at one of the venues in Downtown Jacksonville.
The City Council has approved an increase in ticket fees at the Times-Union Center, Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena, and Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville. Their action also puts mechanisms in place for annual increases moving forward. The bill also establishes a fee for the new amphitheater and covered flex field.
GALLERY: Renderings of new amphiteater, flex field
The Arena is set to gain $487,500 by bumping the fee from $1 to $2.50. The Baseball Grounds will have a projected $520,000 increase in revenue by boosting ticket fees from $0.50 to $2.50. The Times-Union Center is boosting fees from $1 to $2.50, which means an additional $255,000 in estimated revenue. The fee established for the new venues under construction is $2.50 as well.
The fee for EverBank Field is not changed by this bill, but there are already provisions for increases built in to the Jacksonville Jaguars lease. The fee increase for the Jacksonville Symphony doesn't kick in until June 15th.
The increase is designed to cover maintenance needs at the venues. The ticket surcharge revenue will be put in to enterprise funds for the applicable venues to be used only for the specific purposes of capital expenditures and capital maintenance.
The ticket fees can be waived or reduced for events for non-profit organizations, with the authorization of the City’s Chief Administrative Officer or Chief Financial Officer.