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Florida Theatre announces five-year, $10 million improvement plan

The plan includes new seats, lighting and sound system upgrades, bathroom improvements and increased square footage.
Credit: The Florida Theatre

The Florida Theatre is getting a much-needed facelift in the form of a five year, $10-million dollar capital improvement plan that was unveiled Thursday.

Florida Theatre President Numa Saisselin was joined by Mayor Lenny Curry to present the plan which will include new seats, lighting and sound system upgrades, bathroom improvements and increased square footage.

Saisselin says the extra space will come as a result of joining the second floor of their lobby to the second floor of the office building next door, giving the venue roughly 3,000 sq.ft. of extra space that may serve as a new lounge area. 

According to Saisselin, for the past two years the Florida Theatre has claimed the top spot for most attended sports and entertainment venue (with 2,000 seats or less) in the state of Florida.

"But all of that traffic comes with wear and tear, that's the dark side of having a lot of audience in your building..." Saisselin said. "It has been 36 years since the first capital renovation of the Florida Theatre in 1983 and it's been over 25 years since the last touch-up in the early '90s."

The theatre began quietly raising funds for this plan about three years ago, and since then and have been pledged or gifted a total of $2.2 million.

Saisselin says this money is separate from their fundraising efforts each year which equal about $1.5 million so that the venue may balance its budget successfully.

RELATED: Jacksonville’s historic Florida Theatre in line for city funding for restoration

The theatre quietly began raising funds about three years ago and so far has been pledged or gifted a total of $2.2 million. 

To raise the rest of the money, the Florida Theatre will be adding a $2.50 fee to all tickets sold and also partnering with the City of Jacksonville in a dollar-for-dollar match program.

The match program will donate up to a million dollars every year for each dollar raised by the Florida Theatre in relation to this massive renovation.

"This really is a jewel and a really special nugget in the budget that we just put forward," said Curry. "I have attended a number of acts here over the years going back into the 80s... Historic, just proud of the city to support this... I look forward to many years ahead."

Alongside their Thursday announcement, the Florida Theatre also debuted a video that elegantly captured the rich history that the theatre encompasses and overviewed their plans for renovation.

The Florida Theatre will turn 100 years old in 2027.

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