JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — An effort to build a soccer stadium for the Jacksonville Armada on the Eastside is at a crossroads, with the city now asking the developer to fork up the money for the land it was gifted or give it back.
Back in 2020, the City of Jacksonville handed a nearly six-acre plot over to Jax Downtown Pro Real Estate LLC on the promise it would build an $80 million soccer stadium for the Armada on the land.
But more than six years later, it sits vacant behind a fence displaying renderings of what could have been.
Eastside residents like Ariane Randolph said they were skeptical of the plans from the start.
“Development is important, but it has to be responsible, and it has to be sustainable,” said Randolph.
The project was supposed to be completed by September 10th under the deal.
Now, the city has sent a letter to the developer demanding it pay the fair market value for the property, plus three percent annual interest, or else face possible legal action.
We reached out to current Armada owner Robert Palmer asking whether he plans to pay up or give the land back to the city, but didn’t hear back.
“It was gonna be a catalyst for that neighborhood,” said Councilmember Ron Salem (R-Group 2 At-Large).
Councilmember Salem worked on the original deal and told Action News Jax it’s his understanding that challenges related to an attempted sale of the Armada may be behind project delays.
But at this point, with no end on the horizon, Salem said he wants to hear whether Eastside residents actually want a stadium at all.
“And we’ve got other people now with a soccer team here in town, and they’re talking about building a stadium themselves,” said Salem. ”So, it’s like we’ve got multiple soccer teams talking about multiple stadiums, and I’m not sure that’s where we want to go.”
And Randolph said she looks forward to the opportunity to explore new ideas for the land, in the event the city does take back ownership.
“Let the community decide what that best and highest use is for those who will make this a third place and spend most of their time here,” said Randolph.
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