At least one member of the City Council Finance Committee will be giving a frosty reception to a local college’s request for money to build an “E-sports” arena.
The University of North Florida (UNF) wants to build the arena — essentially a place to play video games — at taxpayer expense.
The theory is that it might lure new students to the university, even though it has nothing directly to do with education.
Councilman Rory Diamond said there are just a few problems with the request.
One is that it already has been rejected.
Last year UNF sought $5 million, and the council denied the request. Undeterred, the university is back this year asking for only $3 million.
Another problem is that UNF does not offer a gaming degree or anything close, Diamond told Eye on Jacksonville.
Jacksonville also doesn’t have any gaming studios, he said.
“It’s also not the job of taxpayers to pay for boondoggles at UNF,” he said.”
“If anybody responsible it is the state of Florida. It is a state university.”
One other problem presents itself, Diamond said. “We don’t have any money.”
Not long ago, it should be noted, the council volunteered to help build a $1.4 billion “arena” for the Jacksonville Jaguars.
With a DOGE committee of the council now at work trying to reduce unnecessary expenses in the local government, requests for frills like gaming studios would seem to face a dim future.
Unless lobbyists for UNF can present the committee with reasonable responses to Diamond’s objections at Tuesday’s committee meeting, the repeat request probably is dead in the water.
