Local News: $75M Economic Impact of FL/GA, Navy/Notre Dame, & Blue Angels

Nov 9, 2016

blue-angelsAfter a month defined by preparation for and recovery from Hurricane Matthew, Jacksonville could use some good news, positive economic activity, and a whole lotta fun.

City leaders say it’s coming later in October and early in November, via both sporting events (the 2016 Georgia vs. Florida game and the Navy vs. Notre Dame game) and military events, in the form of the Jacksonville Sea and Sky Air Show and Veterans Day Parade.

On Tuesday morning, Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry, JAXSPORTS Council’s Rick Catlett, and the city’s sports and entertainment czar Dave Herrell spoke at some length about the cumulative “$75 to $80 million economic impact” of this quartet of sports and military events.

Georgia/Florida on Oct. 29 and Navy/Notre Dame on Nov. 5 will generate the bulk of that impact, at $30 million each. The Sea and Sky Air Show on Nov. 5 and 6 and the Veterans Day parade on Nov. 11 will generate the rest.

Catlett and Curry lauded the unique synergy.

Catlett called it “an unprecedented time for our city as we prepare for the three most impactful back-to-back weekends in Jacksonville history.”

Curry appreciated the events as a “football fan and a son of a military veteran,” he said in the press release ahead of the presentation.

During the presentation, Curry noted this “solidifies what you’ve always known about Jacksonville,” as a leader in sports and entertainment, and as the “most military-friendly city in the United States.”

Curry spoke to the economic impact, from “heads in beds” to other drivers of “major economic impact.”

“We’ll continue to go on no sleep,” Curry said, “but for some fun reasons this time.”

Herrell noted “we are 10 days out from the Florida/Georgia game,” which officially kicks off with the opening of RV City, a “very fun atmosphere in the sports complex for all the folks that come in.”

On Oct. 26, a welcome center will open up in Metropolitan Park; that evening, there will be a Florida exhibition basketball game against Eckerd College.

On Oct. 28, the Florida/Georgia Hall of Fame luncheon and induction ceremony occurs, with former Jaguar Marcus Stroud on the list of inductees. Also on the induction list is sportscaster Verne Lundquist.

Among other events, the Avett Brothers will also be in town that Friday, and Herrell notes tickets are still available.

Catlett noted the synergy of two big rivalry games on back-to-back weekends, with ticket sales being “absolutely tremendous.”

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