I know that what I am about to say isn’t shocking. This topic happens in every city that builds a professional sports venue today. But it still bothers me whenever I read an article or opinion piece from a person/group who has a predetermined agenda. As in, someone, or some group who claims to support a new Arena/Ballpark/Stadium, only to find out that the person or group is paid directly or indirectly by the team needing the new venue. We have seen this happen in so many cities.
Today, I saw am opinion piece that declared how great the new Jacksonville Jaguars proposal would be for the city and state of Florida. David Miller stated in the Florida Times-Union that this deal would, in fact, be a “catalyst” for “significant and lasting benefits to our community”. Miller goes on to say that this plan would also “revitalize” the stadium, be a “landmark investment” for the city, is “vital” to addressing the “most pressing issues” faced by residents. What can this proposal not do, exactly? Miller points out towards the end of his love letter that he is just a “business leader and community advocate” who just wants more “community spirit”. He signs off as the founder of a local insurance company.
If you are a normal person, you would read this and be under the assumption that so-called business leaders of the city were also supporting the Jaguars deal. Except, David Miller is also someone who is connected to the JAX Chamber. The JAX Chamber describes itself as a “business organization representing…businesses serving Northeast Florida.” Specifically, the Chamber helps the business “members to make connections, grow their businesses and prosper in our community”.
You probably wonder why this matters. It matters because the group, JAX Chamber, is and has been putting on a consistent PR tour for the new Jaguars plan. Last month, the group announced that they planned to lobby City Council members to accept the $1.4 billion renovation proposal because the group believes that it was “an incredibly important deal” for the city. This story at JaxToday.org also mentions that this support by the JAX Chamber comes right after a local activist group had recently come out against the Jaguars proposal. I read this last statement as if the author were implying that the JAX Chamber was equivalent to some regular activist group.
Except, they are not some regular group. The Jaguars give them money. Likely, a lot of it. You can find the Jaguars openly talking about their support for the JAX Chamber on their team website. Funny, the JAX Chamber also mentions their support of the Jaguars on their website. How connected are the Jaguars to the JAX Chamber? The team itself is billed as a “member” of the Chamber. The JAX Chamber has a Jacksonville Jaguars Senior Vice President on their current Board of Directors. The JAX Chamber has the Jaguars President, COO, SVP, and Chief Community Impact Officer as “trustee members”. Several years ago, the Jaguars President, Mark Lamping, was billed as an “At Large” member of the Board of Directors.
Back to David Miller. Funny thing is that I can’t find David Miller on the JAX Chamber website at all. Yet, there are tons of articles that include David Miller being a part of the JAX Chamber. Florida Politics wrote that Miller was on the Board of Directors at JAX Chamber in 2017. One charity claims he has held a “leadership position” at the JAX Chamber. First Coast News put out a story on a JAX Chamber listening event that involved…David Miller. The Florida Times-Union published an article about another JAX Chamber event that also involved David Miller.
See a pattern? Anyway, he clearly works for or with the chamber in some capacity. Even if you still believe that the Jaguars are not telling this group what to do, the city surely could. The JAX Chamber is literally paid to help the city. The city’s Office of Sports & Entertainment needed help bringing sports events to the area a few years ago. The city partnered with three groups: JaxSports Council, Visit Jacksonville & JAX Chamber.
Maybe you want some actual connection between the owner of the Jaguars and the group? In Jacksonville, a project called “Bay Street Innovation Corridor” has been trying to get off the ground for almost two years. But it continues to sputter due to fraud and mismanagement. After Florida Power & Light’s (“FLP”) failed privatization effort in 2022, the local media found spreadsheets from FLP showing how they gave $50,000 for the innovation corridor project. The media also found spreadsheets showing that Mayor Lenny Curry, JAX Chamber CEO Daniel Davis and Jaguars owner Shad Khan were all deemed to be the “primary drivers” of this innovation corridor project.
How on earth could this group expect to exist if it didn’t support the Jaguars proposal?