JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Storms across the area on Sunday brought heavy winds, which damaged part of the construction for the new Jacksonville Fairgrounds Exposition Center on the Westside.
A portion of the building being constructed near the Jacksonville Equestrian Center was damaged. No injuries were reported.
Construction just recently started at the new site off Normandy Boulevard and only the bare bones of the main structure were up.
Jacksonville Fairgrounds President/CEO Bill Olson said the initial structure was about one-third complete.
“Our construction project manager called me and told me about it,” Olson said. “We have a camera mounted out there, so I was able to go online and take a look for myself.”
The support beams took the initial hit from the heavy winds and tipped over.
The $20 million project was expected to be finished by early next year, as the fairgrounds are slated to move from their traditional location in the sports complex area downtown to the new Westside location by 2026.
Engineers will be out Monday to assess the damage.
“We have a great team out there working on it, and thankfully, it was early on,” Olson said.
The new fairgrounds location off Normandy Boulevard will provide more space and flexibility than the 14.1-acre downtown location.
That property was recently purchased by Shad Khan’s Iguana Investments for $15 million. The Jaguars owner will be turning the old fairgrounds property into 1,600 more parking spaces.
Olson said the damage will likely only delay construction for a few weeks.
