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Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shad Khan told construction workers, city officials and business leaders near TIAA Bank Field on June 13 that Miller Electric Co.’s 10-year naming rights agreement for the team’s practice facility is proof Downtown is “moving forward.”

“Your belief in what’s possible for the entirety of the community is appreciated and is inspirational,” Khan told Miller Electric CEO Henry Brown at a podium backdropped by the construction site and banner featuring the Miller Electric Center logo.

“Your support will undoubtedly make a major impact on our football team. And that by extension will make a positive difference throughout Duval (County).”

The sponsorship investment cost was not disclosed.

The announcement came a few hours after the Jaguars announced in a news release that the Jacksonville-based electrical and technology contractor agreed to be lead sponsor of the 127,087-square-foot facility when it is completed in 2023.

The $120 million facility under construction northwest of the stadium will have two outdoor natural grass fields with bleacher seating for 2,300 people, an indoor practice field, team store and concession area.

City Council agreed in August 2021 to pay for half of the development cost to build the center.

The project is part of nearly $490 million of development underway or proposed by Jaguars affiliate Iguana Investments Florida LLC in the Downtown Sports and Entertainment District.

Jaguars President Mark Lamping told news reporters after the event that Iguana signed documents June 10 to take ownership of 4.77 acres of riverfront Shipyards property from the city for Khan’s proposed Four Seasons hotel. The Jaguars affiliate will not pay for the land which was included as a benefit in the city’s $114 million incentives package for the project.

According to Lamping, the public might see construction fencing up at that site in the next 30 days.

After a barbecue for construction crews, Khan stood onstage with Brown; Mayor Lenny Curry; Council President Sam Newby; Lamping; Jaguars General Manager Trent Baalke; and head coach Doug Pederson in front of the site.

Steel frames and concrete walls for the training and practice center started to be put up in early March.

According to the release, Miller Electric has contributed to every major construction project since the NFL team’s inception, including the original stadium construction in 1993; the locker room renovation in 2012; the north deck expansion in 2014; and the construction of Daily’s Place in 2016.

The company was founded in 1928 and has grown its market reach throughout the U.S. with more than 3,000 employees.

Brown said Miller Electric employees have put in more than 2 million working hours on Jaguars-related projects since the start.

“We’ve been here from the original construction of the stadium, through every renovation, and I know we’ve had members of our company here for every single home game throughout the history of the team,” Brown said.

“In fact, I can vividly remember walking through the gate in 1995 for the first preseason game with my grandfather, my brother and thinking wow, our city’s made it,” Brown said.

“And it’s clear, we’ve moved to the next level.”

Lamping said after the event the Jaguars will not disclose financial details of the naming rights deal, but said the team would receive the proceeds.

“We normally don’t discuss that and we’re not going to make an exception here,” Lamping said.

“The most important thing us is it’s a long-term commitment from a local company that employs thousands of people, not only here in Jacksonville, but across the county.”

The city’s portion of the project cost is capped at $60 million. Jaguars will pay the other $60 million, any cost overruns and for ongoing maintenance of the facility.

Site work started in February on what the Jaguars previously called the Sports Performance Center.

The facility, which Pederson said June 13 will be “cutting edge,” is expected to open before the Jaguars 2023 season.

Four Seasons and a ‘stadium of the future’

The Jaguars’ deal with Miller Electric and buying the Four Seasons site are benchmarks in Khan’s ambitions to redevelop the sports complex in the coming decade.

The Downtown Investment Authority is scheduled to vote in June on a required 30-day property notice of disposition before Iguana can lease the city-owned land to build a six-story office building planned for the Four Seasons-anchored development across from TIAA Bank Field.

The project comprises a five-star Four Seasons hotel and residences with 174 rooms in a 12-story building with a parking garage below; a 25-unit, 12-story residential building; and the office building. 

The development cost is estimated at $370 million.

The Jaguars also completed an agreement in April with the Greater Jacksonville Agricultural Fair to buy the 14.1-acre Downtown fairgrounds northwest of the stadium for an undisclosed amount.

Lamping said the site will be converted into surface parking for stadium district events in the short term, but he did not rule out development for the property.

According to Lamping, the Jaguars also want to complete designs and planning for a full renovation of TIAA Bank Field “well in advance” of the 2029 season when the team’s current lease expires.

Lamping said June 13 that the Jaguars retained eight architects at the end of 2021 to create preliminary designs for the stadium renovation. Those firms will be narrowed to a couple to do detailed cost estimates.

The Jaguars and the city completed a structural engineering analysis of the stadium in 2021 that Lamping said at the time showed the facility can be remodeled instead of needing full reconstruction.

“At that point, we’d have a basis to have a conversation,” Lamping said June 13.

“Until we know exactly what’s going to be built and what it’s going to cost, there’s really nothing to talk about.”

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