It’s been an eventful decade for Jacksonville.
The city experienced growth both in its population and in the form of dozens of major development projects. It moved closer to achieving the long-awaited revitalization of downtown and toward forming a city-wide identity.
The Coastal began publishing in December 2015, so we were around for just under half of the decade. But to honor the 2010s in Jax, we put together our collection of what we believe to be the biggest stories in Jacksonville from the past decade.
Check out our list below and be sure to let us know your thoughts on the decade’s most important events.
Apprehension over rumors of Wayne Weaver’s plans to sell the Jaguars turned into gleeful optimism when Illinois businessman Shahid Khan was announced as the team’s new owner.
Khan quickly won over fans with his quirkiness and his commitment to keeping the team in Jacksonville. He’s already invested tens of millions of dollars of his own money into TIAA Bank Field, and he plans to spend hundreds of millions on his vision for the long-vacant Shipyards property.
It hasn’t been all sunshine and roses for Khan and Jacksonville, though. He drew criticism for some of his local business dealings, including suing the previous operators of Edgewood Bakery before selling it. Some feel that his improvements to the Jags’ stadium – such as oversized scoreboards and end-zone swimming pools – have done little to improve the average gameday experience. And the team has struggled significantly with Khan as owner, putting together a rather dismal 37-89 record since he purchased the team.
All that will probably be forgiven as long as he never moves the team elsewhere.