JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry responded Tuesday to a statement made by Jaguars' President Mark Lamping regarding the need for a "major stadium renovation" if the team were to agree to extend its lease in Jacksonville.
Lamping told the Florida Times-Union that any lease extension would require three-quarters majority approval of NFL owners and that there’d be no chance of acceptance without stadium upgrades.
Curry responded by saying that while he's committed to keeping the Jaguars in Jacksonville, the renovations would be a multi-year phased conversation.
"More than 20 years ago we made a decision as a community to be an NFL city," said Curry. "As mayor of Jacksonville, I'm going to continue to demonstrate that commitment. The sustainability of this franchise is not a new conversation for the administration ... Demonstrating our capacity as an NFL city is a phased approach that contemplates economic development plans in our downtown that are currently being discussed, as well as an analysis of our stadium to identify what changes or enhancements should be made in order to make an NFL stadium for the future. This is a multi-year phased conversation for the City of Jacksonville."
During Monday's 38-minute phone interview with the Florida Times-Union, Lamping touched on a variety of topics connected to a potential extension of the current Jaguars’ lease with the city, which expires in 2030.