City will spend millions for FSCJ vocational training, UNF stadium (Courtesy of the Florida Times-Union) — A $15 million assortment of spending on higher education and vocational training won approval by Jacksonville City Council after months of debate that still left a piece of funding for Edward Waters University up in the air.
The legislation earmarks $5 million to Florida State College at Jacksonville that FSCJ will use to buy a building that currently houses a Westside charter school and turn it into a training institute for high-demand jobs such as welding and HVAC installation.
The University of North Florida will get $6 million in the latest round of city support for upgrades at Hodges Stadium so UNF can put its best foot forward for hosting NCAA track meets that fill thousands of hotel rooms.
Edward Waters University is in line to get $2 million for the first step in building a new conference center and dormitory wings at the campus, but it will require another vote in the future to unlock the money for the college.
The rest of the money in the legislation (2025-871) will go toward expanding training programs run by the Northeast Florida Builders Association and the Jacksonville General Apprenticeship Association.
“It’s a good bill and a win for all of Jacksonville,” said City Council member Raul Arias, who filed the legislation in October. “I wish I could have allocated more toward it but this is a great step in the right direction.”
Here is how the city would spread out the $15 million.
FSCJ will get $5 million for buying a building currently owned by Bold City Education for its Cecil Early College charter school on the FSCJ Cecil Center Campus.
FSCJ had previously considering buying a different building off the campus for launching the Florida State College at Jacksonville Training Institute that will focus on skilled trades such as welding and HVAC with plans to add advanced manufacturing and logistics.
FSCJ shifted its attention to the charter school building after Bold City Education contacted FSCJ about selling it.
Bold City Education CEO Ryan Rewey said the school site is a great location but it “just hasn’t developed to the point” that Bold City Education wants, prompting the organization to approach FSCJ about the college buying the building.
A purchase by FSCJ of the building would allow the college to add 40,000 square feet of new instructional space.
“One of our biggest missions is to expand these workforce programs,” FSCJ spokeswoman Jill Johnson said. “We continue to hear from business owners we talk to that these are areas of high need.”
FSCJ officials have said they would close on purchasing the building next summer.
UNF stadium and practice fields: $6 million
UNF would get $6 million for renovations at Hodges Stadium that the school can point to when it seeks to keep hosting NCAA track meets.
“The NCAA is always looking to have their championships take place at premier facilities,” said Visit Jacksonville CEO Michael Corrigan, who also is a leader of the Jacksonville Sports Foundation formed to attract athletic events.
UNF will host the Division 1 track and field First Round Championship, formerly called the East Preliminary, in 2027. That will mark the ninth time since 2012 that UNF and its top-tier track, which city dollars helped build, have won the nod from the NCAA.
Hodges Stadium at UNF also will be the site of the Division II national track and field championships for the 2028 season. Edward Waters University is hosting that event.
The work on Hodges Stadium will replace the chiller system, upgrade public restrooms and the elevator, repair concrete and tackle waterproofing issues. UNF also will build more grass practice fields.
The city’s $6 million share will tap $3 million from the Duval County Tourist Development Council’s reserves. The Tourist Development Council, which gets its funding from hotel bed taxes, previously provided a total of $2.6 million for improvements to Hodges Stadium and the track in 2021 and 2023.
Edward Waters University campus building: $2 million
The biggest point of contention involved Edward Waters University and that debate isn’t over yet.
The legislation has $2 million for the planning, design and permitting for future construction of a $40 million Living Learning Community Conference Center that would have 425 dormitory beds in 66,000 square feet of space and also multi-purpose room in 20,000 square feet for hosting conferences and other events.
The city’s Office of General Counsel has raised concerns that the spending at Edward Waters University might not meet the standard of serving a public purpose.
City Council President Kevin Carrico was among the council members who said helping the university, which has a waiting list for dorm rooms, will benefit the city by attracting more college students to Jacksonville and bolster the Kings Road corridor that runs through the campus.
“I think this is a great project for that campus, for that corridor and for that university and for the city,” he said.
Other council members said they want to give city lawyers more time to do their research before deciding whether they consider the proposed center on campus to have a public purpose.
The council settled on allocating the funding for $2 million but putting a restriction on any of it going to the school until council takes a future vote on a joint use agreement between the city and Edward Wates for the conference center portion of the building.
In the past decade, the city has approved funding for a different dormitory at the Edward Waters and for FSCJ student housing as part of the city’s drive to bring more residents into downtown.
Northeast Florida Builders Association training center: $1 million
The Northeast Florida Builders Association will get $1 million from the city for the association’s $7.1 million construction of a workforce development center at 4932 Sunbeam Road.
The center will have 5,000 square foot auditorium, 11 classrooms and four training labs for building construction, electrical, HVAC and plumbing trades.
Apprentice training program: $675,000
In the biggest change to the original legislation, City Council reduced the $2.675 million initially proposed for Edward Waters University by $675,000 and put it into an account for the Jacksonville General Apprenticeship Association that involves training programs by local unions.
Operation Boost skilled jobs training: $325,000
Operation Boost will receive $325,000 to help it cover the cost of providing workforce training to residents in parts of the city that have historically faced economic challenges.
Unlike other funding that would go toward buildings for training programs, the money for Operation Boost would cover the instructional cost of vocational training in fields such as construction, warehousing, welding and flooring. The program would be aimed at 100 Jacksonville residents and help them with job placement as well.