The new University of Florida campus in Jacksonville will include the Florida Semiconductor Institute.
Published on June 25, 2025 at 2:41 pm
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Jacksonville city lawmakers approved an incentives deal Tuesday with the University of Florida to build an estimated $345 million graduate campus and Florida Semiconductor Institute in LaVilla.
With the unanimous approval, City Council has now cleared $105 million in cash incentives for the UF project and agreed to donate $28.29 million in real estate in the historic Downtown neighborhood over the next 15 to 20 years, including the the parking lot property next to the Prime Osborn Convention Center and the train station.
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The agreement says the city also will help the state’s flagship university acquire a $2.58 million parcel for future expansion currently owned by a subsidiary of The Vestcor Cos.
In total, the development agreement is worth up to $135.87 million.
Mayor Donna Deegan, who has been a key supporter of the project, praised the deal in a statement after the vote.
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“This is a moment we will look back on and never forget. UF’s new graduate campus is a linchpin in our work to ignite Downtown Jacksonville and develop the industries and workforce of the future,” Deegan said.
“In addition, the Florida Semiconductor Institute will grow our already large and active military presence. I’m grateful to the City Council and University of Florida for their partnership as we enter this next chapter together,” she said.
After the vote, UF board of Trustees Chair Mori Hosseini took to the lectern to thank council President Randy White, the full council, Deegan, former Mayor Lenny Curry and Downtown Investment Authority CEO Lori Boyer, who was the deal’s lead broker.
He said the campus will offer degrees that “are aligned with the needs of the local economy.”
“With this campus, UF will attract world-class faculty, train the next generation of engineers, business leaders and health care innovators, and help drive the kind of economic growth that keeps Jacksonville competitive, not just in Florida, not just in the United States, but internationally,” Hosseini said.
“We will bring the Florida Semiconductor Institute to this campus, building research labs and incubators that will spin off new companies … that can partner with the federal government to strengthen national defense and security, and we will create a hub of innovation that keeps top talent here while bringing new talent in.”
To start, UF will move into the former Interline Building in the fall semester with a requirement in the deal that at least 50 students are enrolled by December 2026.
Long-term plans for the campus would lead to two new campus buildings in LaVilla as well as a renovated Prime Osborn Convention Center with restaurants and retail fronting the Emerald Trail and LaVilla’s historic train station added to the campus.
Boyer told council members this month that the project also could spur development of commuter rail back into LaVilla.
According to Kurt Dudas, vice president for the UF Office for Strategic Initiatives, discussions about the campus between UF officials and Jacksonville elected leaders began in 2022.
“The vision for UF Jacksonville started with an idea brought to the UF board of trustees by Jacksonville elected officials and other community leaders. Back in 2022, many of you were involved in the discussions of how UF could expand its impact in Northeast Florida,” he said Tuesday.
According to Hosseni, the city’s financial contribution has been matched by private donations, and UF will continue to fund raises for the campus through special projects and philanthropic giving as the project moves forward.
Confirmation of the private dollars was a sticking point for the City Council auditors as they vetted the deal. UF attorney T.R. Hainline told council on June 12 that the university has agreed to a request by the council auditor to show proof through a letter from a UF Foundation officer that it has the $50 million in pledged donations.
The council’s vote Tuesday was 16-0 with council members Joe Carlucci, Terrance Freeman and Ken Amaro gone on excused absences cleared by White.
Council member Jimmy Peluso said UF officials have agreed to work with the Downtown Investment Authority for directions on the look of the graduate campus’s architecture to insert into the city’s Downtown design guidelines.
The bill was amended Tuesday to include the architectural agreement.
“I just want to make sure it wasn’t going to be this disjointed looking kind of a thing in the middle of our Downtown,” Peluso said.
Retaining and honoring the LaVilla neighborhood’s historic Black and multicultural heritage and remaining post-civil war architecture has been a top concern for business owners and people with ties to the area.
“LaVilla is a neighborhood with history, with character and with enormous potential. We don’t take lightly the significance of building something new in a place that holds such a cultural and historical weight,” Hosseini said. “Our commitment is not just to revitalization, but also to respectful partnership with the neighborhood.”
