Jacksonville — The Neighborhoods Committee approved an economic development (REV) grant on Nov. 3 for a planned surf lagoon and associated visitor amenities in the E-Town/9B area after hearing that recent geotechnical tests increased foundation costs substantially.

Ed Randolph of the Office of Economic Development told the committee that the developer identified the need for deeper, more robust foundations because of hydrostatic pressures typical in this region. Randolph said the surf facility would be the first of its kind in Florida and argued the project could be a catalytic tourism investment similar to surf-park investments elsewhere.

Why it matters: Proponents said the surf facility could draw regional and national competition and recreation events, boost nearby development, and produce tourism-related room nights and taxable activity. Council members pressed the developer and OED on local procurement and Jacksonville Small & Emerging Business (JSEB) participation goals.

Project details

OED described the project as a 15-acre park within a 45-acre parent tract in the southwest quadrant of the Etown Parkway/9B interchange. The project team said the surf lagoon will include event capacity, on-site food-and-beverage and retail, and public viewing areas, and that it expects regional competition events and a multi-use visitor amenity.

Economic rationale and council discussion

OED compared the project to similar investments (for example, Virginia Beach) and provided a modeled ROI figure; OED staff characterized the ROI as favorable and said the city’s REV grant seeks to ensure the project moves forward rather than being abandoned due to unforeseen geotechnical costs. Council members suggested procurement goals and a strong JSEB commitment; developers said most investors and contractors are local but some specialty equipment and systems may be sourced internationally.

Vote and conditions

The committee voted to approve the grant and associated economic development agreement, including a waiver of some public investment policy constraints to fit the project’s unique nature. The recorded vote was 7 yeas, 0 nays.

Provenance

Topic intro: OED explains engineering and cost increase and need for REV support (01:43:52).

Topic finish: Council votes to approve the REV grant (01:55:37).