Amerant Bank Arena

Amerant Bank Arena
	Amerant Bank Arena in 2024
	Amerant Bank Arena Location in Florida Amerant Bank Arena Location in the United States
Former names	National Car Rental Center (1998–2002); Office Depot Center (2002–2005); Bank Atlantic Center (2005–2012); BB&T Center (2012–2021); FLA Live Arena (2021–2023)
Address	1 Panther Parkway
Location	Sunrise, Florida, United States
Coordinates	26°9′30″N 80°19′32″W / 26.15833°N 80.32556°W
Parking	7,045 total spaces
Owner	Broward County, Florida
Operator	Arena Operating Company, Ltd.
Capacity	Basketball: 20,737; Ice Hockey: 19,250 ; Arena Football: 19,779; Concerts:; End stage 180°: 15,207; End stage 270°: 19,119; End stage 360°: 21,371; Center stage: 22,457; *Theatre: 3,000
Field size	872,000 sq ft (81,000 m2)
Construction
Broke ground	November 8, 1996
Opened	October 3, 1998
Construction cost	US$184 million; ($359 million in 2023 dollars)
Architect	Ellerbe Becket
Project manager	Upton & Partners
Structural engineer	Walter P. Moore & Associates
General contractor	Arena Development Company (A joint venture of Centex Rooney/Huber, Hunt & Nichols/Morse Diesel)
Tenants
	Florida Panthers (NHL) (1998–present); Florida ThunderCats (NPSL) (1998–1999); Florida Bobcats (AFL) (1999–2001); Florida Pit Bulls (ABA) (2005–2006); Miami Caliente (LFL) (2009–2010); Florida Freedom (PBR) (2023)
Website
	amerantbankarena.com

Amerant Bank Arena (previously known as the National Car Rental Center, Office Depot Center, BankAtlantic Center, BB&T Center, and FLA Live Arena) is the largest indoor arena in Florida and is located next to Sawgrass Mills in Sunrise, Florida, United States. It is the home venue for the Florida Panthers of the National Hockey League. It was completed in 1998, at a cost of US$185 million, almost entirely publicly financed, and features 70 suites and 2,623 club seats.^[2]

History

In 1992, Wayne Huizenga obtained a new NHL franchise that would eventually become the Florida Panthers.^[5] Until the team had an arena of their own, they initially played at the now-demolished Miami Arena, sharing the venue with the NBA's Miami Heat.^[6] Sunrise City Manager Pat Salerno made public a $167-million financing and construction plan for a civic center near the Sawgrass Expressway in December 1995,^[7] and Broward County approved construction in February 1996.^[8] In June 1996, the site was chosen by the Panthers, and in July, Alex Muxo gathered more than a dozen architects, engineers and contractors for the first major design brainstorming session. Architects Ellerbe Becket were given 26 months to build the arena, which had to be ready by August 30, 1998, to accommodate the 1998–99 NHL season. Despite never having designed a facility that had taken less than 31 months from start to finish, they accepted the job.^[5] Seventy suites were completed with wet bars, closed circuit monitors and leather upholstery. Also home to private lounge box seating, all construction activity was generated by over fifty subcontractors and 2.3 million man hours without a single injury.^[4] Known as the Broward County Civic Center during construction, the naming rights were won in July 1998 by National Car Rental — a company purchased by Huizenga in January 1997 — leading to the venue being named the National Car Rental Center.^[9] A certificate of occupancy was given on September 12, 1998, and the arena opened on October 3, 1998, with a Celine Dion concert. The next day, Elton John performed, and on October 9, 1998, the Florida Panthers had their first home game at their new arena, a 4–1 win against their cross-state rival, The Tampa Bay Lightning. ^[10]

As NRC's new parent company, ANC Rental, went bankrupt in 2002, the Panthers sought a new sponsor for the arena.^[11] It became the Office Depot Center in the summer of 2002. Just over three years later, the arena's name changed again; it became the BankAtlantic Center on September 6, 2005. (BankAtlantic was headquartered in nearby Fort Lauderdale.)

Because BB&T purchased BankAtlantic in July 2012, the arena was rebranded as the BB&T Center.^[12]^[13]

The arena is currently the largest in Florida.^[14]

In October 2012, Sunrise Sports and Entertainment completed installation of the Club Red [now Amerant Vault] ^[15] which is a 12,000+ square-foot exclusive lounge for concerts, shows, and events including a center ice view for hockey games.^{[citation needed]}

On May 14, 2013, Broward County voted to fund a new scoreboard for the county-owned arena.^[16] On October 11, 2013, the scoreboard made its debut for the Panthers' 2013–14 home opener.^[17]

In February 2019, it was announced that BB&T would be merging with SunTrust Banks to form Truist Financial Corporation.^[18] The merged company decided to not renew the naming rights agreement after it expired in 2021. The arena was temporary named FLA Live Arena until a new rights partner was found. On September 19, 2023, it was announced that Amerant Bank, a South Florida-based bank, would be the new rights partner, renaming the arena to Amerant Bank Arena.^[19]^[20]

Notable events

NHL

The Florida Panthers hosted the 2001 NHL Entry Draft & 2015 NHL Entry Draft at the arena.
The arena served as the site for the 2003 NHL All-Star Game on February 2, 2003. The Western Conference defeated the Eastern Conference 6–5 in a shootout victory. It marked the first "official" shootout in the NHL.^{[citation needed]}
The arena was due to host the 2021 NHL All-Star game, but it was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The arena hosted the 2023 NHL All-Star Game on February 4, 2023.
The arena hosted the third and fourth games of the 2023 Stanley Cup Finals.
The arena hosted the first, second, fifth and seventh games of the 2024 Stanley Cup Finals, with the final game being the Panthers clinching the Stanley Cup.

Latin/Hispanic shows

Sunrise and Fort Lauderdale are a growing Latin & Hispanic market as demand has grown outside of Miami proper. Amerant Bank Arena is centrally located in South Florida to be able to not only draw from Miami-Dade county but the one million Hispanic/Latin population residing in points north in Broward County and Palm Beach County. This is evidenced by the growth in Latin programming since 2019 at Amerant Bank Arena including but not limited to hosting the Latin Billboard Music Awards in 2020, Latin American Music Awards in 2021, Amor A La Musica in 2022 and 2023, and Uforia Mix Live in 2022.^[21]
Marco Antonio Solis sold out to set the Latin gross revenue record in April 2022 and then beat his own record on April 1, 2023. Just three weeks after Marco eclipsed his record, Juan Luis Guerra set a new Latin ticket sales and gross record selling out on April 22, 2023.^[22]
The Latin/Hispanic programming continued to grow with a sold-out Peso Pluma concert in June and a strong showing by Sante Fe Klan in July 2023. The future of Latin programming in the northern part of South Florida with performances scheduled by Luis Miguel, Pepe Aguilar and more.

Boxing, mixed martial arts

The arena has held boxing and mixed martial arts events such as EliteXC: Heat featuring the main event of Seth Petruzelli and Kimbo Slice took place on October 4, 2008. On February 15, 2009, a lightweight bout between Nate Campbell and Ali Funeka took place in the arena.

Strikeforce MMA made their debut at the arena on January 30, 2010, with the Strikeforce: Miami event on Showtime.^[23]

UFC on FX 3 took place at the arena on June 8, 2012. It was the first UFC event ever held at the arena.^[24]

UFC Fight Night: Jacaré vs. Hermansson (also known as UFC Fight Night 150 or UFC on ESPN+ 8) took place at the arena on April 27, 2019. It was the first time UFC returned to the arena since 2012.

The arena hosted an exhibition boxing match between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and John Gotti III, on June 11, 2023.^[25]

Professional wrestling

WCW Bash At The Beach - July 11, 1999
WWF Armageddon – December 12, 1999
WWE Armageddon – December 15, 2002
WWE Raw – August 19, 2024

Bull riding

The Professional Bull Riders (PBR) brought their Built Ford Tough Series tour to the BB&T Center in September 2005 for a bull riding event, which was won by Kody Lostroh (who ultimately became the Rookie of the Year that same year). In 2024, the Florida Freedom PBR bull riding team will host an event at the arena, which it was originally hosted in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, for the first two years in the PBR Teams Series circuit.

Other events

On May 23, 2008, Senator Barack Obama held a rally as part of his presidential primary campaign.
Several months later on October 29, Obama returned to the arena to hold a rally as part of his presidential campaign. The rally was presented as a paid program airing on several major broadcast and cable networks live.
On August 10, 2016, Candidate Donald Trump held a rally as part of his presidential campaign.
On February 21, 2018, the venue hosted a CNN town hall meeting on gun control in response to the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting that occurred a week earlier; it was attended by 7,000 people, including survivors of the shooting and relatives of the victims.^[26]
On June 27, 2018, rapper XXXTentacion's fan memorial and public funeral was held at the arena.^[27]^[28]
On November 26, 2019, President Donald Trump held a campaign rally.

Regular events

In addition to the Panthers, the arena was formerly home to the Florida Pit Bulls of the American Basketball Association, the Miami Caliente of the Lingerie Football League, and the Florida Bobcats of the AFL, along with the only season of the Florida ThunderCats. This arena also serves as the host for the Orange Bowl Basketball Classic held every December in conjunction with the namesake college football game.

Arena information

Seating

Basketball: 20,737
Hockey: 19,250
End-Stage Concerts: 12,500 – 19,000
Center-Stage Concerts: 19,500
17,000 square feet (1,600 m²) of arena floor space for trade shows and other events such as circuses and ice shows.^[2]

Parking and loading docks

Total: 7,045 spaces (Does not include production or bus/oversized vehicle parking)
General parking: 4,446 Spaces
Suite/club seat parking: 1,771 spaces
Garage: 226 spaces
Disabled parking: 92 spaces
Truck doors: 5
Waste removal docks: 2^[2]

Food and novelty concessions

Plaza Level:

3 Coca-Cola food courts
Pantherland Retail
VooDoo Ranger Craft Beer & Bar
Cats Cantina
Funky Buddha Tap Room
Jameson Crossbar
Patron Patio &Yuengling Flight Deck & Bar ^[29]

Mezzanine Level:

3 food courts and two points of purchase kiosks^[2]

References

^ "Google Groups". groups.google.com. Retrieved February 23, 2019.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e "Facts and Figures". BB&T Center. Archived from the original on February 8, 2012. Retrieved October 22, 2007.
^ 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved February 29, 2024.
^ ^a ^b ^c "History". BB&T Center. Retrieved February 1, 2013.
^ ^a ^b "Panthers History: Arenas". National Hockey League. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
^ Lapointe, Joe (December 11, 1992). "N.H.L. Is Going to Disneyland, and South Florida, Too". The New York Times. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
^ "Sunrise Gets Serious About Arena". South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Fort Lauderdale. December 16, 1995. Archived from the original on May 3, 2014. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
^ "Prospects Good For Broward Arena". South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Fort Lauderdale. February 1, 1996. Archived from the original on May 3, 2014. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
^ Snell, Alan; Fleshler, David (July 11, 1998). "Huizenga's National Car Rental To Be Name Gracing Hockey Arena". South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Fort Lauderdale. Archived from the original on May 3, 2014. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
^ Nolin, Robert (September 12, 1998). "Sunrise Arena Ok'd For Occupancy". South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Fort Lauderdale. Archived from the original on May 3, 2014. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
^ Talalay, Sarah (August 16, 2002). "Panthers Want Car Rental Name Taken Off Arena". South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Fort Lauderdale. Archived from the original on May 3, 2014. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
^ "BB&T Center Naming Rights Headline Long-term Florida Panthers-BB&T Partnership". NHL.com (Press release). Florida Panthers. September 10, 2012. Retrieved February 24, 2018.
^ Richards, George (September 11, 2012). "Florida Panthers' Arena Now BB&T Center". The Miami Herald. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
^ "Panthers See Red In BankAtlantic Center Lower Bowl". National Hockey League. July 25, 2011. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
^ "Florida Panthers Announce Arena Naming Rights Agreement with Amerant Bank | Florida Panthers". September 19, 2023.
^ Nolin, Robert (May 14, 2013). "County to Fund New Scoreboard for Panthers Arena". South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Fort Lauderdale. Archived from the original on June 18, 2013. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
^ Davis, Craig (October 11, 2013). "Huizenga Joins Viola to Christen New Panthers Era Before 6-3 Win". South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Fort Lauderdale. Archived from the original on October 15, 2013. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
^ "SunTrust, BB&T have their names on sports". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. February 7, 2019. Retrieved May 20, 2019.
^ "Florida Panthers Announce Arena Naming Rights Agreement with Amerant Bank". NHL.com. September 19, 2023. Retrieved September 19, 2023.
^ Solomon, Michelle (September 19, 2023). "Florida Panthers fans will now be heading to the Amerant Bank Arena". local10.com. Retrieved September 19, 2023.
^ "Daddy Yankee & Bad Bunny Win Big at 2020 Billboard Latin Music Awards: Complete Winners List". Billboard.
^ "Carlos Vives to Receive Hall of Fame Award at 2020 Billboard Latin Music Awards". Billboard.
^ "Strikeforce to Florida in 2010 with Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos and Herschel Walker". mmajunkie.com. November 19, 2009. Archived from the original on October 13, 2012. Retrieved November 20, 2009.
^ "UFC on FX 3 heads to Fort Lauderdale's BankAtlantic Center on June 8". MMAJunkie.com. April 5, 2012. Archived from the original on April 7, 2012. Retrieved April 5, 2012.
^ Sam, Doric. "Floyd Mayweather vs. John Gotti III Exhibition Fight Stopped, In-Ring Brawl Ensues". Bleacher Report. Retrieved June 13, 2023.
^ Man, Anthony; Barszewski, Larry (February 21, 2018). "Rubio is jeered as CNN town hall meeting about Florida school shooting turns angry". Sun-Sentinel. Retrieved February 21, 2018.
^ Halle, Kiefer (June 24, 2018). "XXXTentacion Fans Invited to Open Casket Memorial at Florida Panthers Stadium". Vulture.com. Retrieved July 9, 2018.
^ "XXXTentacion fans queue to pay respects at Florida service". BBC News. June 28, 2018. Retrieved July 9, 2018.
^ "Concessions | Florida Panthers | Florida Panthers".

External links

Events and tenants
Preceded by Miami Arena	Home of the Florida Panthers 1998–present	Succeeded by current
Preceded by Staples Center T-Mobile Arena	Host of the NHL All-Star Game 2003 2023	Succeeded by Xcel Energy Center Scotiabank Arena

[1] "Google Groups". groups.google.com. Retrieved February 23, 2019.

[Facts_and_Figures-2] "Facts and Figures". BB&T Center. Archived from the original on February 8, 2012. Retrieved October 22, 2007.

[inflation-US-3] 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved February 29, 2024.

[history-4] "History". BB&T Center. Retrieved February 1, 2013.

[panthers-5] "Panthers History: Arenas". National Hockey League. Retrieved February 19, 2015.

[6] Lapointe, Joe (December 11, 1992). "N.H.L. Is Going to Disneyland, and South Florida, Too". The New York Times. Retrieved February 19, 2015.

[7] "Sunrise Gets Serious About Arena". South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Fort Lauderdale. December 16, 1995. Archived from the original on May 3, 2014. Retrieved February 19, 2015.

[8] "Prospects Good For Broward Arena". South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Fort Lauderdale. February 1, 1996. Archived from the original on May 3, 2014. Retrieved February 19, 2015.

[9] Snell, Alan; Fleshler, David (July 11, 1998). "Huizenga's National Car Rental To Be Name Gracing Hockey Arena". South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Fort Lauderdale. Archived from the original on May 3, 2014. Retrieved February 19, 2015.

[10] Nolin, Robert (September 12, 1998). "Sunrise Arena Ok'd For Occupancy". South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Fort Lauderdale. Archived from the original on May 3, 2014. Retrieved February 19, 2015.

[11] Talalay, Sarah (August 16, 2002). "Panthers Want Car Rental Name Taken Off Arena". South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Fort Lauderdale. Archived from the original on May 3, 2014. Retrieved February 19, 2015.

[12] "BB&T Center Naming Rights Headline Long-term Florida Panthers-BB&T Partnership". NHL.com (Press release). Florida Panthers. September 10, 2012. Retrieved February 24, 2018.

[13] Richards, George (September 11, 2012). "Florida Panthers' Arena Now BB&T Center". The Miami Herald. Retrieved February 19, 2015.

[14] "Panthers See Red In BankAtlantic Center Lower Bowl". National Hockey League. July 25, 2011. Retrieved February 19, 2015.

[15] "Florida Panthers Announce Arena Naming Rights Agreement with Amerant Bank | Florida Panthers". September 19, 2023.

[16] Nolin, Robert (May 14, 2013). "County to Fund New Scoreboard for Panthers Arena". South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Fort Lauderdale. Archived from the original on June 18, 2013. Retrieved February 19, 2015.

[17] Davis, Craig (October 11, 2013). "Huizenga Joins Viola to Christen New Panthers Era Before 6-3 Win". South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Fort Lauderdale. Archived from the original on October 15, 2013. Retrieved February 19, 2015.

[18] "SunTrust, BB&T have their names on sports". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. February 7, 2019. Retrieved May 20, 2019.

[19] "Florida Panthers Announce Arena Naming Rights Agreement with Amerant Bank". NHL.com. September 19, 2023. Retrieved September 19, 2023.

[20] Solomon, Michelle (September 19, 2023). "Florida Panthers fans will now be heading to the Amerant Bank Arena". local10.com. Retrieved September 19, 2023.

[21] "Daddy Yankee & Bad Bunny Win Big at 2020 Billboard Latin Music Awards: Complete Winners List". Billboard.

[22] "Carlos Vives to Receive Hall of Fame Award at 2020 Billboard Latin Music Awards". Billboard.

[SFinFlorida-23] "Strikeforce to Florida in 2010 with Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos and Herschel Walker". mmajunkie.com. November 19, 2009. Archived from the original on October 13, 2012. Retrieved November 20, 2009.

[24] "UFC on FX 3 heads to Fort Lauderdale's BankAtlantic Center on June 8". MMAJunkie.com. April 5, 2012. Archived from the original on April 7, 2012. Retrieved April 5, 2012.

[25] Sam, Doric. "Floyd Mayweather vs. John Gotti III Exhibition Fight Stopped, In-Ring Brawl Ensues". Bleacher Report. Retrieved June 13, 2023.

[26] Man, Anthony; Barszewski, Larry (February 21, 2018). "Rubio is jeered as CNN town hall meeting about Florida school shooting turns angry". Sun-Sentinel. Retrieved February 21, 2018.

[27] Halle, Kiefer (June 24, 2018). "XXXTentacion Fans Invited to Open Casket Memorial at Florida Panthers Stadium". Vulture.com. Retrieved July 9, 2018.

[28] "XXXTentacion fans queue to pay respects at Florida service". BBC News. June 28, 2018. Retrieved July 9, 2018.

[29] "Concessions | Florida Panthers | Florida Panthers".

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v t e Venues of the X League
X League	Budweiser Events Center CFE Arena CFG Bank Arena Citrus Bowl Cotton Bowl Dick's Sporting Goods Park FLA Live Arena Hard Rock Live H-E-B Center at Cedar Park Hershey Centre Highmark Stadium Huntington Center Infinite Energy Arena Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum Now Arena Orleans Arena QuikTrip Park Ralston Arena Resch Center Riccardo Silva Stadium Ricoh Coliseum Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse ShoWare Center Sovereign Center Sun National Bank Center Tampa Bay Times Forum Target Center Thomas & Mack Center Toyota Arena Toyota Park UW–Milwaukee Panther Arena Valley View Casino Center VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena
LFL Canada	Abbotsford Centre Brandt Centre SaskTel Centre Stampede Corral
LFL Australia	AAMI Park nib Stadium Skilled Stadium Centrebet Stadium Penrith

v t e Florida Panthers
Founded in 1993 Based in Sunrise, Florida
Franchise	Team General managers Coaches Players Captains Draft picks Expansion draft Seasons Current season
History	1993 expansion Records Award winners Retired numbers Broadcasters
Personnel	Owner(s) Sunrise Sports and Entertainment (Vincent Viola, chairman) General manager Bill Zito Head coach Paul Maurice Team captain Aleksander Barkov Current roster
Arenas	Miami Arena Amerant Bank Arena
Rivalries	Tampa Bay Lightning
Affiliates	AHL Charlotte Checkers ECHL Savannah Ghost Pirates
Media	TV Scripps Sports (WSFL-TV) Radio WQAM
Culture and lore	Rat trick FTL War Memorial Stanley C. Panther Viktor E. Ratt Wayne Huizenga
Category Commons

v t e Music venues of Florida
Outdoor	Ben Hill Griffin Stadium Camping World Stadium Capital City Amphitheater Coral Sky Amphitheatre Daily's Place Daytona Beach Bandshell FIU Stadium Hard Rock Stadium Klipsch Amphitheater LoanDepot Park MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre Mizner Park Amphitheater Pompano Beach Amphitheater Raymond James Stadium St. Augustine Amphitheatre Sunset Cove Amphitheater TIAA Bank Field Universal Music Plaza Stage
Arenas	Addition Financial Arena Amalie Arena Bradenton Area Convention Center Bud Adams Equestrian Center Donald L. Tucker Civic Center Expo Hall FLA Live Arena Hard Rock Live Hertz Arena Kaseya Center Kia Center Jenkins Arena Lee County Civic Center O'Connell Center Ocean Center Arena Pensacola Bay Center Silver Spurs Arena The Venue at UCF Tropicana Field VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena Watsco Center West Palm Beach Christian Convention Center Yuengling Center
Theaters and clubs	Beacham Theatre Capitol Theatre Club La Vela The Fillmore Miami Beach Florida Theatre Freebird Live Hard Rock Live Henegar Center Jannus Live Kaye Performing Arts Auditorium Lyric Theater Lyric Theatre Mahaffey Theater Maltz Jupiter Theatre Marina Civic Center Miami-Dade County Auditorium Murray Hill Theatre New World Center Olympia Theater Parker Playhouse Peabody Auditorium Ritz Theatre The Ritz Ybor Ruth Eckerd Hall Saenger Theatre State Theatre Sunrise Theatre Tampa Theatre The Plaza Live Polk Theatre YouKey Theatre
Performing arts centers	Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts Broward Center for the Performing Arts Coral Springs Center for the Arts Curtis M. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts King Center for the Performing Arts Knight Center Complex Raymond F. Kravis Center for the Performing Arts Straz Center for the Performing Arts Times-Union Center for the Performing Arts Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall Wayne Densch Performing Arts Center
Festivals	Calle Ocho Festival Cornerstone Florida Electric Daisy Carnival Florida Azalea Festival Florida Music Festival Florida Strawberry Festival Jacksonville Jazz Festival Lakeside Jazz Festival Langerado Okeechobee Music & Arts Festival One Spark Springing the Blues SunFest Ultra Music Festival
Historic venues	Amway Arena Bayfront Center Bob Carr Theater Cameo Theater Coconut Grove Convention Center Coconut Grove Playhouse Curtis Hixon Hall Dixie Crystal Theatre Gator Bowl Stadium Hollywood Sportatorium Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Coliseum Lincoln Theatre Metropolitan Park Miami Arena Miami Jai-Alai Fronton Miami Marine Stadium Miami Orange Bowl Orange County Civic Center Orlando Sports Stadium Roxy Theater State Theatre Sunrise Musical Theater Tampa Stadium

Construction

Amerant Bank Arena in 2024
Amerant Bank Arena Location in Florida Show map of Florida Amerant Bank Arena Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Former names	National Car Rental Center (1998–2002) Office Depot Center (2002–2005) Bank Atlantic Center (2005–2012) BB&T Center (2012–2021) FLA Live Arena (2021–2023)
Address	1 Panther Parkway
Location	Sunrise, Florida, United States
Coordinates	26°9′30″N 80°19′32″W / 26.15833°N 80.32556°W / 26.15833; -80.32556
Parking	7,045 total spaces
Owner	Broward County, Florida
Operator	Arena Operating Company, Ltd.
Capacity	Basketball: 20,737 Ice Hockey: 19,250 Arena Football: 19,779 Concerts: End stage 180°: 15,207 End stage 270°: 19,119 End stage 360°: 21,371 Center stage: 22,457 *Theatre: 3,000^[1]
Field size	872,000 sq ft (81,000 m²)
Broke ground	November 8, 1996 (1996-11-08)
Opened	October 3, 1998 (1998-10-03)
Construction cost	US$184 million^[2] ($359 million in 2023 dollars^[3])
Architect	Ellerbe Becket
Project manager	Upton & Partners^[4]
Structural engineer	Walter P. Moore & Associates
General contractor	Arena Development Company (A joint venture of Centex Rooney/Huber, Hunt & Nichols/Morse Diesel)^[4]
Tenants
Florida Panthers (NHL) (1998–present) Florida ThunderCats (NPSL) (1998–1999) Florida Bobcats (AFL) (1999–2001) Florida Pit Bulls (ABA) (2005–2006) Miami Caliente (LFL) (2009–2010) Florida Freedom (PBR) (2023)
Website
amerantbankarena.com