Mayor Donna Deegan picks Sidley Austin LLP to lead Jaguars stadium negotiations

Mayor Donna Deegan’s team has selected Sidley Austin LLP, a Chicago-based law firm, to represent the city during stadium negotiations with the Jaguars beginning later this month.

Deegan allocated $2 million for the special legal counsel in her first budget, and the firm will be billed on an as-needed basis, a city spokesperson told the Times-Union Tuesday. Deegan spoke about the hire at her 'community conversations' event in Neptune Beach later Tuesday night, calling the firm "probably the most respected firm in the entire country" and promising to get the best deal possible.

"I'm going to give this an opportunity to breathe and see what we can get done," Deegan said Tuesday night. "But, you know, try to bear with it, know that I'm doing the very best I can to get the best deal that we can get, and not everybody is going to be happy. I understand that, but I just think it's a very, very important thing for the city to get it done."

Other negotiators at the table: Jacksonville City Council hires consultant for 'stadium of the future' negotiations

Everything you need to know about: Jacksonville Jaguars' plans for 'Stadium of the Future'

Previous timeline: Mayor-elect Deegan says her team will start stadium negotiations by August

The Jaguars released a first look in June at the team’s designs for a renovated stadium and surrounding sports entertainment district, totaling a potential $1 billion investment from the city. Both have since begun publicly preparing for negotiations to start, with the Jaguars hosting a series of “community huddles” to answer questions and discuss the plans while the mayor’s office and City Council sought outside assistance.

Deegan promised on the campaign trail to bring in negotiators to assist in talks with the Jaguars, and according to the city's release, the firm will assist with "stadium renovation, lease negotiation and related ancillary development." Sidley Austin has worked on similar deals before, representing the state of New York in negotiations ending earlier this year for the Buffalo Bills stadium, totaling $1.54 billion, with the state ultimately agreeing to pay $600 million.

Keeping the Jaguars in Jacksonville and providing city funding to a renovated stadium "are mutually exclusive," Deegan said Tuesday night to an attendee who felt reluctant to spending city money on the project. Moving into negotiations, she said she told Shad Khan, the owner of the Jaguars, that she wanted to see the team positively contribute to the whole city, especially the surrounding communities.

"Bear in mind this initial deal, this is the wish list for the Jaguars," Deegan said. "We didn't even begun to negotiate. My goal is to make sure that we create as much impact in those surrounding underserved neighborhoods as we possibly can, in all sorts of ways."

Though Deegan's team will led negotiations for the city, City Council additionally hired Michael Huyghue, a former Jaguars’ executive, last month to represent its interests in a contract worth $150,000.

Deegan's team will introduce City Council to the firm at its next meeting, Aug. 22, but does not need council approval to hire them.

Times-Union staff writer David Bauerlein contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jacksonville Mayor Deegan picks consultant for NFL stadium negotiations