House Speaker Renner: Jacksonville UF campus ‘transformational’ for the city

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (FLV) – House Speaker Paul Renner said the creation of a University of Florida Health and Financial Technology Graduate Education Center in Jacksonville is “transformational” for the city.

During a press conference Tuesday, a reporter asked Renner and Gov. Ron DeSantis their thoughts on the state potentially allocating $75 million in budget for the new graduate campus.

The new graduate campus would focus on the introduction of innovative programs in medicine, business, and engineering.

Renner mentioned how the University of Florida is a top five ranking university in the U.S., but what UF “doesn’t have is a big city like Jacksonville, being based in Gainesville.”

He said the new campus is a “big win-win for both” cities.

“And it’s obviously something that I’ve supported based on the consistent support [….] And both the city and the private sector delivering on the promises that they would back this fully and match the dollars that we’re putting forward. So I think it’s a very, very good project,” Renner said.

DeSantis said 95% of students, or “probably even more than that,” leave Gainesville after they graduate from UF. He said he thinks it is “more likely” that people will “end up staying in the area” if the program is located in Jacksonville.

“If you have these programs in an area that has the industry there around it and that is allowed to develop, then there’s going to be just inertia, people are going to be able to do that, to do the studies, and then they’ll be able to just go right into the local economy,” DeSantis said.

The governor said he thinks there is a “clear vision of how this can be successful.” He said there has been “huge support” from the local community, which “really makes a difference.”

“And I know that I know the city but I think also, a lot of the people in the private sector have been really supportive of this initiative. And I think that there’s a lot of potential there,” DeSantis said.

In March, the Jacksonville City Council approved a bill that appropriates up to $20 million in borrowed funds in the form of a grant to UF for the creation of the new education center and authorizes the funds to carry-over to fiscal year 2023-2024.

The city will agree to fund no more than 50% of the establishment costs up to $50 million over three years with city funds being contributed on a proportional basis with other university-identified funds.

It requires UF to show a funding commitment of $100 million from non-city sources before any city funds are expended on the project, according to the councilmembers.

Council President Terrance Freeman, who introduced the bill, said at the time with the new infrastructure being built, it will provide more jobs for people.

“So all of a sudden, this great deal that’s coming is bringing something else on top of that, jobs for people,” Freeman said.

JEA sent a letter Feb. 2 to Vice President of UF Thomas Mitchell which said it is their “intent to support” the project “as it supports downtown revitalization.”

JEA said their total investment value of up to $10 million of “in-kind goods and services” that they would commit to the project is currently planned to include:

• Access to the trail through the Main Street Water Plant and Laboratory parcel through a purchase/lease/easement.
• Within the JEA footprint, all infrastructure and beautification work, including the use of the conservation building.
• Beyond the JEA footprint, additional beautification in JEA right of ways.

The utility company said they are “also open to discuss” investment beyond the $10 million to “potentially include” chilled water connection, street lighting, emergency response poles and charging stations.

The campus would build on UF’s and Jacksonville’s long-standing connections in health care providing new graduate education programs aimed at supporting the region’s growing workforce needs in biomedical technology. It would also focus on pioneering technology related to stimulation, health applications of artificial intelligence, patient quality and safety, health care administration and fintech, according to a news release.