Video boards, other EverBank Field upgrades should be financed by hotel bed taxes, Mayor Brown and the Jaguars declare

Source: The Florida Times-Union, JacksonvilleOct.mini storage 03--Most Jacksonville hotel guests never set foot in EverBank Field during their stays, but they would end up paying the city's share of a $63 million renovation of EverBank Field under a proposal put forward Wednesday by Mayor Alvin Brown.The city already has been using a portion of hotel bed taxes since 2010 to pay for millions of dollars in improvements at the football stadium. Brown's proposal would allocate some of the bed tax to pay off debt for the large-scale changes at the stadium.The city would install the "world's largest" video boards at the end zone sides of the stadium, seven LED board displays around the stadium, and a fan zone with swimming pools in the north end of EverBank Field."This is a game-changer," Brown said in the stadium's West Touchdown Club. "This is what I mean when I say taking Jacksonville to the next level."Brown and the Jaguars unveiled the stadium makeover in June, but Brown didn't fill in the blanks on the financing until Wednesday.The City Council must approve the financing arrangement. One question facing the council is whether the cost of the scoreboards and fan zone will squeeze out funding for a long list of other maintenance needs at the stadium.By Florida law, the city's hotel bed tax cannot be used to pay for the daily operations of City Hall such as police, fire and libraries. But the bed tax can be used for sports and entertainment venues.The city collects a 6 percent bed tax. One-third of that amount goes toward tourism promotion, one-third is dedicated to paying debt for construction of the stadium, and the other one-third goes to a trust fund for the upkeep and improvements at the stadium, arena and baseball park."That revenue is already going to maintain the stadium," Brown said. "Now, it will be invested in some of the most significant enhancements in the history of EverBank Field."He said in addition to enhancing the fan experience for Jaguars games, the renovation will support the Florida-Georgia game and the Taxslayer.com Gator Bowl, while boosting the recruitment of other sports and entertainment events.Jaguars owner Shad Khan would pay $20 million for the improvements."If somebody is going to put $20 million worth of skin in the game, I'm probably going to be a little positive about that," City Council President Bill Gullifor迷你倉 said. "That's a pretty strong commitment on his side."Gulliford said the council will examine how the cost of the scoreboards and fan zone would affect the city's ability to keep up with other stadium maintenance.An architectural review commissioned by the Jaguars in 2007 recommended $148 million in work at the stadium. The list included $37 million for video boards and such basic needs as $15 million to replace seating and $18 million for behind-the-scenes work on air conditioning, plumbing and boiler systems."We're comfortable we will be able to maintain the sports complex and especially the stadium effectively," mayoral spokesman David DeCamp said Wednesday. "The essential work will get done."Jacksonville Jaguars President Mark Lamping likewise said the video boards and fan zone won't shortchange other needs."The best sports facilities are those that continue to evolve and keep up with the changing needs our customers have," he said. "We're very comfortable this is going to do that, and it's not going to threaten in any way the long-term viability of EverBank Field."In the 2012 fiscal year, the city collected almost $4.7 million in hotel bed taxes for the sports and entertainment trust fund. The city uses 70 percent of that for work at the stadium and splits the remaining 30 percent for the ballpark and arena.Under Brown's proposal, the city would tap the trust fund to repay the debt for the scoreboards and fan zone, which would cost $2.8 million to $3.5 million a year in debt payments. The actual amount would depend on the final project cost and structure of the bonds.After paying the annual debt, the city would allocate 70 percent of the remaining money for the stadium, and 30 percent for the arena and ballpark. Because the city would calculate the amount of money available for the arena and ballpark based on what's left after making the debt payment, those venues would receive less spending than under the current system.The city previously used bed tax money to pay $1.2 million for a new scoreboard and video screens at the baseball park and another $1.2 million for a high-definition scoreboard at the arena.David Bauerlein: (904) 359-4581Copyright: ___ (c)2013 The Florida Times-Union (Jacksonville, Fla.) Visit The Florida Times-Union (Jacksonville, Fla.) at .jacksonville.com Distributed by MCT Information Services文件倉