Jacksonville City Council approves $10 million for stadium designs and cost analysis

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Jacksonville City Council has approved $10 million to go towards the proposed renovation of EverBank Stadium.

>>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<<

That means money has officially started flowing into the revamp of the Jaguars stadium, despite a tentative deal between the team and the city still likely about two months away.

[DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks]

City Council President Ron Salem (R-Group 2 At-Large) explained $7 million of the $10 million approved by council Tuesday night will go towards the city’s share of the formal design process.

“The Jaguars have put in about seven or eight million into design, so we’re getting close to matching that. And those expenses will go towards the eventual split of whatever the renovation costs,” said Salem.

The remaining $3 million will go towards the city’s process of determining what the full cost of the project will actually look like.

RELATED: ‘Going to be a major piece of information to have:’ Jacksonville mayor provides stadium deal update

Initial cost projections put out by the Jaguars put the price tag at more than a billion dollars for the renovation alone, and close to two billion when combined with the Eastside entertainment district included in early renderings.

“I mean, that was a great picture, but now we’ve got to get into the nuts and bolts of what it’s really gonna cost to build something that looks like that,” said Salem.

Salem said he hopes both pieces will help city negotiators fully comprehend the scope of the project, and strike a deal that works for the city.

“And part of this will be determining how we’re gonna pay for it. And Mr. Weinstein will be coming forward with several options that the city council will weigh and hopefully select one of those,” said Salem.

Salem said it’s still his hope to get the deal through council approval by July 1st, or shortly thereafter.

[SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter]

Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.