New Florida/Georgia contract filed just months before 2017 game

With just about six months to go before the annual Florida/Georgia football game in Jacksonville- and a year after the deal was expected- the City now has a formal contract on the table.

Action News Jax partner News 104.5 WOKV first told you last March that the City, University of Florida Athletic Association, and University of Georgia Athletic Association had agreed to terms for a five year contract. The intent was to have that contract executed by April 2016- ahead of the 2016 game, which was the final one under the prior contract.

That timeline was not met, and internal communications obtained by WOKV show the contract has spent months bouncing between Jacksonville’s Office of the General Counsel and attorneys for the universities. New documents filed with the City Council show a five-year deal has now been fully agreed to between the parties, and is now only pending City Council approval.

WOKV has requested the full agreement, and until that is received, there aren’t many other details immediately available. The bill documents filed with the City Council show the contract would cover five games, with the first being 2017 and the final being 2021, with the contract itself expiring February 2022. The Office of Sports and Entertainment would have oversight.

The terms agreed to in 2016 gives a total of $2.75 million in incentives, including a $125,000 “signing bonus” and $250,000 annual guaranteed payment for each team. The universities receive full ticket revenue and do not pay to play at EverBank Field- which are the same terms as the prior contract- but the new terms sheet did increase the travel stipends as well. Once we obtain the full agreement that’s been filed with the City Council, we will confirm alignment with the terms sheet.

This is a developing story that will be updated through the day.

Cox Media Group