Florida, Georgia agree to keep playing in Jacksonville

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JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) – Florida and Georgia will continue playing their annual rivalry game in Jacksonville through 2021.

The schools and the city announced a five-year agreement Wednesday.

Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry says the new deal “further strengthens the Georgia-Florida tradition we have enjoyed here in Jacksonville for 83 years.”

The game has been played in Jacksonville since 1933, and the city estimates the economic impact to have been $35 million in 2015.

Both schools expected the deal to get done after athletic directors Jeremy Foley (Florida) and Greg McGarity (Georgia) saw renderings of EverBank Field renovations and learned those would not reduce the 83,000-seat capacity. The city and the Jacksonville Jaguars are currently upgrading premium-seating sections on both sides of the stadium.

The new agreement still needs approval by the Jacksonville City Council, but that’s considered a formality.

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