Florida State University will get $20 million from the city and county to fund stadium repairs and renovations. The decision by the Blueprint Commission came in a five-hour meeting Monday night that at times was contentious.
Several efforts to kill or cut the funding failed. City Commissioner Diane Williams-Cox notes Blueprint voted to give FSU the money at its May meeting.
“So, I don’t like flip-flopping. It may be painful, it may be a lot of things, but my grandmother told me a long time ago, ‘your word is your bond," Cox said.
Cox was among the yes votes for the funding. Commissioners Kristen Dozier, Jack Porter, Brian Welch, and Jeremy Matlow voted against the project. Dozier worries the stadium funding will drain Blueprint’s ability to fund future local development projects.
“It’s not urgent. It can wait until February, look at our strategic plan and make absolutely sure that this is where we want to put all of our money," she said.
The commission earlier this year gave Tallahassee Community College $1 million for its athletic facilities and gave Florida A&M University $10 million to renovate its stadium.
FAMU’s repairs were deemed critical—the school was facing the prospect of not being able to hold football games in Bragg Stadium due to the severity of the problems.
