Council approves RDA with University of Florida, commits $100M and conveys downtown parcels for UF Jacksonville campus

The Jacksonville Committee of the Whole approved bill 2025396 on Thursday, June 12, 2025, authorizing a redevelopment agreement (RDA) with the University of Florida to establish a graduate campus in downtown LaVilla, commit up to $100 million in city funding and convey several city-owned parcels for campus development. The committee voted 15-0 to pass the bill as amended after technical and auditor-recommended amendments were accepted.

Project proponents and city analysts said the campus is intended to anchor LaVilla redevelopment, create a pipeline of skilled workers and host the Florida Semiconductor Institute (FSI). "The University of Florida's Jacksonville campus is a bold investment in that future," said Jed Davis, a member of the University of Florida Board of Trustees.

Supporters said the campus would include seven initial master's programs and expand research and workforce development in specialty electronics. "This will be a critical mass of a single-mission institute that will focus on research," said David Norton, vice president for research at the University of Florida, describing the Florida Semiconductor Institute and an initial UF investment of $45 million for capital buildout.

What the council approved

The RDA and accompanying ordinance authorize the disposition of multiple parcels in and around LaVilla, including 801 West Bay and two city-owned sites referred to in the materials as Site A (approx. 2.36 acres) and Site B (approx. 1.22 acres), plus train-station and convention-center parcels. The agreement also contemplates a city funding commitment of up to $100,000,000, split into two $50 million tranches. The first $50 million had previously been appropriated by ordinance; the second $50 million will be disbursed in four annual installments of $12.5 million beginning in October 2027 and becomes available only after tranche…