Jacksonville City Council Enacts $2.03B Municipal Budget Funding $220M for EverBank Stadium Transformation

City Council Votes Overwhelmingly to Adopt Mayor Donna Deegan's $2.03 Billion Budget

JACKSONVILLE, Florida — In a decisive 18 to 1 vote inside council chambers in late October 2026, the Jacksonville City Council gave final statutory approval to Mayor Donna Deegan's comprehensive $2.03 billion municipal operating budget for the 2026–2027 fiscal year. Marking the administration's second consecutive balanced budget that drew zero dollars from emergency reserve accounts, the fiscal plan maintains Jacksonville’s lowest-in-class municipal debt profile while heavily funding neighborhood infrastructure, public safety enhancements, and community health services across Duval County.

Mayor Deegan praised the bipartisan council collaboration, emphasizing that strong fiscal management allows the city to build long-term economic resilience while investing in historically overlooked neighborhoods across North and West Jacksonville.

$220 Million Capital Allocation Advances $1.4 Billion 'Stadium of the Future' Project

The centerpiece of the approved Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) commits $220 million in multi-year municipal financing to advance the ongoing construction of the historic $1.4 billion 'Stadium of the Future' transformation of city-owned EverBank Stadium. Developed in partnership with the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars under a 50-50 public-private cost share, the landmark project will deliver a state-of-the-art 63,000-seat sports and entertainment venue equipped with an innovative, temperature-reducing translucent canopy designed to lower bowl temperatures by 15 degrees.

Alongside stadium construction milestones, the capital agreement guarantees tens of millions in dedicated Community Benefit Agreement (CBA) investments to revitalize the surrounding historic Eastside neighborhood with workforce training centers, park expansions, and attainable workforce housing.

Drainage and Resiliency Projects Safeguard St. Johns Riverfront Neighborhoods

Addressing chronic flooding risks, the Jacksonville Department of Public Works initiated ground-breaking operations on five comprehensive stormwater pump station modernizations and bulkhead restorations along vulnerable St. Johns River corridors, including San Marco and Riverside. City engineers noted that modernizing legacy drainage channels protects neighborhood streets from extreme storm surges and bolsters Jacksonville’s coastal climate defense for decades to come.