ORLANDO, Fla. – Traffic, tailgates, and touchdowns — the Jacksonville Jaguars are heading to Orlando, and while the excitement is building, so are concerns in one local community.
For people living in Paramore, game day could mean gridlock, blocked streets, and big changes to their Sundays.
Tamara Frazier said it is already a reality in her neighborhood.
Streets in Paramore fill up with traffic backed up for hours during major events at Camping World Stadium.
“I typically try to stay away from it. There’s bound to be standstill traffic or blocked streets that cause a little bit of an inconvenience,” Frazier said.
She said what should be a quick trip can turn into a 20-minute delay — or longer.
With the Jaguars set to play some of their home games here next year, she said she is happy the Jags are coming but hopes city leaders are already planning ahead.
“Just the events and the influx of traffic that comes during these times, I do think there is opportunity for expansion just for help to relieve that,” Frazier said.
St. John Baptist Church is right up the street from the stadium. Pastor Rolous Frazier is thrilled about the NFL games but says it also impacts their worship services.
“We just had an event last Tuesday, a soccer event, and a lot of my members couldn’t get here because the road was blocked,” Pastor Frazier said.
He said game days could bring opportunity, such as extra parking revenue for their church, but also challenges.
“It’s going to have a major impact as far as my members getting here early enough so they won’t be bothered by the traffic. So hopefully, I can work something out with the city,” he said.
News 6 reached out to the city about its plans to mitigate traffic. When the station hears back, it will share the response.