The University of Florida Board of Trustees Governance Committee voted Thursday, December 12 on the location of its proposed new graduate campus in Downtown Jacksonville. The selected site is the area surrounding the Prime F. Osborn III Convention Center in LaVilla, which is the City of Jacksonville’s recommended location. Mayor Donna Deegan will work with city leadership to provide 22 acres for the campus, which hopes to open its initial phase in fall 2026.
Graduate course offerings at the new campus have not been determined, but proposals include master’s degrees in science and engineering fields. The Jacksonville campus will include the Florida Semiconductor Institute, funded by President Biden’s CHIPS act as part of a national effort to drive research and development of semiconductor chips. Public investment in the project includes $80 million in funding from the State of Florida, $50 million in city funding already budgeted, another $50 million city contribution to be proposed soon, and potential future federal funding.
City properties being offered by the city focus on the convention center and surrounding lots. One of several significant projects announced for Downtown Jacksonville in the past few months, the UF Jacksonville graduate campus is directly across the street from the Jacksonville Regional Transportation Center, the city’s main hub for city buses, the Jacksonville Skyway and intercity buses. It will also connect directly with the Emerald Trail’s LaVilla Link, which opened in May. and could aid Jacksonville’s long-held goal of returning passenger rail to Downtown at the Prime Osborn – a project for which the City of Jacksonville received a $1.25 million capacity-building grant in September 2024.
Article by Ennis Davis. Contact Ennis at edavis@moderncities.com.