Jacksonville Jaguars things to watch in preseason game vs Dolphins
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Jacksonville City Council President Kevin Carrico has called for an end to free tickets for elected officials to city events, despite having requested numerous tickets himself.Carrico requested tickets to Jaguars games, Jumbo Shrimp games, and various concerts in 2024.Other council members, including Terrance Freeman, have also made frequent ticket requests, with Freeman seeking access to 33 events in 2024 and 2025.The city distributes thousands of tickets annually for events at city-owned venues, primarily to city employees, with some allocated to non-profits and elected officials.
City Council President Kevin Carrico has blasted ticket giveaways to elected officials but he has repeatedly requested to use such tickets himself for sports events and concerts.
Carrico sought free tickets to four Jaguars games, two Jumbo Shrimp games and four concerts by Anthony Hamilton, Third Eye Blind and Yellowcard, Justin Timberlake and Luke Combs in 2024, according to city records.
He’s not alone. Many City Council members have done the same by using the city’s long-standing system for distributing thousands of tickets the city gets each year for events at city-owned venues. The bulk of those tickets go to city employees outside City Council and the mayor’s office. The city also provides tickets to non-profits for fundraising efforts.
City Council member Terrance Freeman has made the most ticket requests of any council member. He asked for tickets to 33 concerts and sports events in 2024 and 2025 at city-owned venues.
Mayor Donna Deegan used tickets to sit in the city’s suite at EverBank Stadium seven times during the 2024 season. Members of her office also have requested tickets to sports and entertainment events at city-owned venues.
Deputy Chief Administrator Kelli O’Leary made requests to 14 events in 2024 and 2025 at the city’s venues while Chief Administrative Officer Karen Bowling made requests for tickets to 13 events.
Carrico put the spotlight on the distribution of free tickets when he proposed the Denying Elected Elites Gameday Access Nonsense, or the DEEGAN amendment, to prohibit the mayor and City Council from getting free Jaguars tickets.
Carrico previously requested a total of 10 tickets for four Jaguars games and 12 tickets for four concerts at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena and EverBank Stadium in 2024. He requested 10 tickets over two Jumbo Shrimp games.
He did not respond to a question about whether he went personally to all of those events.
“Like every council member, our offices can request tickets, and many are passed along to community members,” Carrico said.
The council’s Finance Committee took the first step toward cutting off the supply of tickets to the mayor and City Council members by eliminating $38,664 in next year’s budget for the city’s purchase of tickets to the city’s suite at EverBank Stadium during Jaguars games.
“While the mayor loves her suite perks, I’m working to end this practice once and for all,” Carrico said.
The arrangement for the suite, which the city has had since 1995, splits 24 tickets 50-50 between the mayor’s office and City Council at each Jaguars home game where they represent the city in drumming up business development and tourism.
Carrico requested two tickets to the city’s suite in 2024 when the Jaguars played the Jets and another two tickets for the Jaguars versus the Packers.
City Council members Freeman, Raul Arias, Joe Carlucci, Reggie Gaffney Jr., Nick Howland, Chris Miller, Ron Salem, Randy White all requested tickets to watch at least one Jaguars game from the city’s suite in 2024.
City Council members and the mayor’s staff also have requested tickets for the terrace suite and club seats for Jaguars games.
The Jaguars tickets are a fraction of the thousands of tickets the city is able to give out each year as a result of agreements agreements and contracts at city-owned facilities including EverBank Stadium, VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena, VyStar Ballpark, Daily’s Place amphitheater and the Jacksonville Center for the Performing Arts.
The tickets have always flowed through the mayor’s office. The city’s Office of Sports and Entertainment, which is part of the mayor’s administration, manages the distribution upon request by members of the mayor’s office, City Council members and employees across city government.
The mayor’s office provides some Jaguars tickets each year for the City Council president to distribute. In the past, that totaled 28 tickets per home game for the city’s suite, the terrace suit and some club seats. For the upcoming season, it’s 12 tickets per game in just the city’s suite.
Council members who want to use free Jaguars tickets for other seating in the stadium can still do so, just as they can ask for tickets at other city-owned venues.
City Council spokeswoman Teresa Eichner said council members have requested tickets to “host constituents, community leaders, veterans, neighborhood organizations and other groups or to reward city employees.”
“This practice helps strengthen and highlight the importance of partnerships and to ensure they are shared broadly within the community,” she said.
Council members can ask for multiple tickets to an event. Freeman asked for a total of 112 tickets spread across 33 events. That includes tickets for seven Jaguars games during the 2024 season, 24 concerts in 2024 and 2025, one Sharks arena football game, and the Jax College Baseball Classic.
“Blessed to have a large family and over the course of going on eight years have attended events,” Freeman said in reference to his tenure on council.
He did not respond to a question about whether he agrees with Carrico’s push to eliminate free tickets for City Council and the mayor.
In addition to tickets for admission to the city’s sports and entertainment buildings, City Council members and staff in the mayor’s office have gotten tickets to The Players Championship golf tournament. The tournament in St. Johns County isn’t played on a city-owned site but the city contributes each year to it because of the tourism impact.
City Council members Mike Gay, Tyrona Clark-Murray and Matt Carlucci did not request any tickets for entry to city-owned venues or The Players in 2024 or 2025, according to city records.