The University of Florida administration could make a long-awaited decision this week on selecting a site for a planned graduate campus in downtown Jacksonville.
UF and the city have been in discussions for the past two years about building a college campus in Jacksonville, funded by a mix of state, city and private financing.
When the UF board meets for a two-day meeting starting Thursday, the board’s Governance, Government Relations and Interior Committee will vote on whether to make a recommendation to the full board for a final vote the next day on site.
City Council President Terrance Freeman listens as Mark Kaplan, University of Florida vice president of government and community relations, talks about a potential UF campus in Jacksonville last March.
A description of the action item for the committee’s agenda says that “through productive discussions between the University and the City of Jacksonville, the parties have identified a location that they believe is ideal as a location for the University’s Jacksonville campus.”
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“The university and the city are prepared to immediately begin the work necessary to complete the site transfer,” the description said.
The board’s agenda package does not identify the location. In the past, sites under consideration have been in the downtown LaVilla area and at the sports complex at what is currently the Jacksonville Fairgrounds.
The prospect of a UF campus in Jacksonville has attracted $250 million in funding: $150 million from the state, $50 million from the city of Jacksonville and $50 million from private donors.
The University of Florida has a long-standing presence in Jacksonville through UF Health Jacksonville and its affiliated teaching hospital with the UF colleges of medicine, nursing and pharmacy.
This article originally appeared in the Florida Times-Union: University of Florida administration chooses Jacksonville campus site
