The University of North Florida’s quest to expand its Hicks Honors College rose to the head of the class for Jacksonville area projects added to the 2025-26 state budget.
Other multimillion dollar items inserted by state lawmakers into the $115 billion budget include constructing a new regional road on the Southside of Jacksonville, building an overpass for a privately operated port terminal in the Talleyrand area, expanding nursing programs at Jacksonville University and erecting a seawall for the historic district of Fernandina Beach.
State lawmakers also dropped in funding for the Jacksonville Fairgrounds, Jacksonville Classical Academy, a Clay County bridge replacement, a St. Augustine fire station relocation and the Museum of Science and History.
With the start of the next fiscal year just around the corner on July 1, Gov. Ron DeSantis is reviewing the budget approved by the state Legislature before signing it into law. Projects added by state lawmakers always get the most scrutiny by the governor for line-item vetoes.
Here are the top 10 local projects by funding amount in the Jacksonville metropolitan area.
UNF Hicks Honors College academic building: $14.84 million
UNF plans to build a new academic building next to the 520-bed Hicks Honors College residence hall that is the final stage of construction. The residence hall on Osprey Ridge Road is slated to welcome students in the fall semester. It marks the first expansion of student housing at the campus since 2009 as UNF seeks to boost enrollment.
The state would pay $14.84 million for construction of the Hicks Honors College academic building. That building will contain classrooms, offices, meeting rooms, conference rooms, labs and study spaces. It will house the honors college’s “signature programs” with partners such as MedNexus, ArtsUNF and Blackstone LaunchPad, according to a legislative summary of the building’s scope.
Jacksonville regional corridor on Southside: $6 million
A new road through the fast-growing Southside of Jacksonville would get $6 million in state funding.
The state money would go toward a $26 million project for the permitting, design and construction of the northern segment of a road that will eventually run from Gate Parkway east of Interstate 295 down to US 1 in Jacksonville near the St. Johns county line.
Estuary Corp., a major landowner led by the Davis family, will contribute $20 million for construction of the northern segment. The additional $6 million from the state would enable construction of that section as a four-lane road from the get-go, which would cost less than going back later and widening it, according to a legislative summary.
The road will give motorists an alternative to driving on US 1, Florida 9B and I-295, which are all state roads, as that part of Jacksonville gets more traffic from ongoing development in the Southside and northeast St. Johns County.
The new road will go through an area where the master plan calls for adding schools and parks. The road will have multi-use paths along it for walking and bicycling.
Wigmore Street overpass in Talleyrand area: $5 million
Keystone Properties would use the state funding for for the planning, design and construction of an overpass for vehicles at Wigmore Street so they can go over a recently expanded railroad crossing without being stopped by passing trains.
Keystone Properties owns Keystone Jacksonville Terminal, located at 1915 Wigmore Street, which covers 110 acres and has riverfront access for cargo-carrying ships. Keystone Properties has invested “hundreds of millions of dollars” in the area, a legislative summary says.
Jacksonville University GROW Florida Nurses Program: $4 million
Jacksonville University would use state funding on expanding its Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree program and its Direct Entry Master of Science in Nursing degree program so Florida can fill the growing demand for nurses.
Jacksonville University also would increase its nursing practitioner enrollment and specialties while expanding its nursing skills lab and establishing a faculty-led pediatric clinic.
Fernandina Beach seawall for historic district: $4 million
The city of Fernandina Beach plans to build a seawall that would protect the 60-block historic district, bordered by the Amelia River, from severe flooding caused by high tides and storm surge. The construction of the seawall will go along 1,600 feet of the Amelia River shoreline to reduce the number of days that downtown Fernandina Beach suffers flooding.
The legislative summary notes that Fernandina Beach is a big draw for tourists visiting Florida.
New Jacksonville Fairgrounds: $3.25 million
The Jacksonville Fairgrounds taking shape on the Westside would get $3.25 million to help the Greater Jacksonville Fair Association build the new exhibition hall, entertainment area and space for meetings, administration and maintenance.
The total cost for that portion of the fairgrounds will be about $56 million, according to the legislative summary. The city is footing the biggest share of the bill. The state previously put up $3 million for the fairgrounds in its 2023-24 budget.
A summary says the Westside site, where the fairgrounds will relocate in 2026 from its long-time home in the downtown sports complex, will enable “at least 300 public events annually — including exhibitions, trade shows, concerts, festivals and educational competitions — in addition to our 11-day fair.”
Jacksonville Classical Academy gym building: $3 million
The Jacksonville Classical Academy — a Jacksonville charter school in the Mixon Town neighborhood —would construct a building for sports with locker rooms for athletes and coaching staff offices. The school also will use the building for student assemblies and theater productions.
“The school currently has no facility to carry out these facilities,” the legislative summary says.
Clay County Road 217 bridge replacement: $2.5 million
Clay County will replace the bridge on County Road 217 that is on an evacuation route designed by the Clay County Emergency Management Division. The bridge dates back to the 1950s and is considered “structurally deficient,” which means that although it’s not unsafe, it does need repairs or replacement.
Building a new bridge reduces the risk of “structural failure during extreme weather events” so the road can maintain a “critical transportation lifeline” during evacuations, a legislative summary says.
St. Augustine fire station relocation: $2.5 million
The $2.5 million from the state would go toward a $5 million project for the cost of land, design and construction of a relocated fire station serving Anastasia Island and downtown St. Augustine. The city will build the new fire station to replace the station at Florida A1A and Red Cox Road.
The existing station was built in 1955. Replacing it will enable the state Department of Transportation to undertake a separate project for improvements to that intersection.
The design of the new building will make it resilient during heavy storms so it can be a place for distributing resources to the community during natural disasters. The building will also have a meeting space.
Museum of Science and History: $2.5 million
The state would help support the cost of building a new Museum of Science and History along the St. Johns River near the sports complex. Groundbreaking for a new MOSH, replacing the existing building on the Southbank, is scheduled for 2026 with completion in 2028.
A legislative summary shows the total cost of the new museum would be $94.5 million paid for by the city, state and private donations. The $2.5 million from the state would be on top of $5 million in the 2024-25 budget for the museum.
The city committed $50 million toward the project with its funding spread over three years. The city has also agreed to lease the site to the museum for 40 years at a dollar a year.
Other projects exceeding $1 million
Here are some other projects that made the cut by the state Legislature.
Armsdale Road drainage improvements (Jacksonville): $2 million
Gateway Community Services building (Jacksonville): $2 million
Clay County Public Safety Complex: $2 million
Macclenny wastewater treatment facility improvements (Nassau County): $1.5 million
Baldwin Sewer Lining and Lift Station Rehabilitation (Duval County): $1.5 million
University Boulevard at Ederline Road traffic signal (Jacksonville): $1.142 million
Sulzbacher Center’s Enterprise Village training center (Jacksonville): $1 million
Clay County Archives Building design and construction: $1 million
Florida Museum of Black History (St. Johns County): $1 million
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: UNF building and new road in Southside top Jacksonville projects championed by lawmakers
Reporting by David Bauerlein, Jacksonville Florida Times-Union / Florida Times-Union
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