Downtown businesses are ready for large crowds the Georgia-Florida game draws in Jacksonville

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Downtown businesses are gearing up to welcome fans ahead of the Georgia-Florida game on Saturday.

Tens of thousands of fans are expected to fill the downtown area around EverBank Stadium on Saturday and all those fans help bring in big bucks for the City of Jacksonville.

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Action News Jax reported last year that the city estimates the game has an economic impact of about $35 million every year.

Business owners Action News Jax talked to said they are ready for the crowds.

For the last couple of days, Stephanie Acevedo has been hard at work preparing to open her doors at Flavorikan.

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“We are going to have extra staff, a lot of food, and live music,” Acevedo said.

She’s owned Flavorikan for 6 years now, starting with a food truck, and now she has a restaurant on East Duval Street just down the road from EverBank Stadium.

“There are a lot of people coming,” Acevedo said. “I know that today is going to be really huge.”

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And for fans on both teams, whether you live locally, or you are visiting, many are stopping by the Sports Mania shop on Talleyrand Avenue to pick up their team’s gear.

“We buy stuff every year from here, and we look forward to it,” Sherry King, a Georgia fan, said.

“We’ve shopped here for the last few years, or I have too, and they have the best stuff,” said Peggy Baxter, a Georgia fan.

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