BB&T Center

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

In 1992, Wayne Huizenga obtained a new NHL franchise that would eventually become the Florida Panthers. 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. 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, and Broward County approved construction in February 1996. 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. 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. 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. 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. As NRC's new parent company, ANC Rental, went bankrupt in 2002, the Panthers sought a new sponsor for the arena. It became the Office Depot Center in the summer of 2002 (Office Depot is based in nearby Boca Raton). 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). After BB&T acquired BankAtlantic in July 2012, the arena was rebranded as the BB&T Center. In October 2012, Sunrise Sports and Entertainment completed installation of the Club Red [now Amerant Vault] which is a 12,000+ square-foot exclusive lounge for concerts, show

In Their Own Story

The humidity clings to your skin as you walk through the parking lot, but the moment you step inside, the air turns crisp and cold. The ice gleams under the bright overhead lights, reflecting the red and teal of the jerseys on the boards. A player taps his stick against the glass near the bench, signaling a timeout, while the crowd hums with anticipation. Outside, palm trees sway in the warm night breeze, but here, time freezes until the puck drops.

Reader's Guide

The arena has hosted numerous notable events. NHL events include the 2001 and 2015 NHL entry drafts, the 2003 NHL All-Star Game (the first official shootout in the NHL), the cancelled 2021 NHL All-Star Game due to COVID-19, the 2023 NHL All-Star Game, games of the 2023, 2024, and 2025 Stanley Cup Finals. Latin/Hispanic shows include 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. Marco Antonio Solís set the Latin gross revenue record in April 2022 and beat it on April 1, 2023; Juan Luis Guerra set a new Latin ticket sales and gross record on April 22, 2023. Boxing and MMA events include EliteXC: Heat on October 4, 2008, a Nate Campbell vs. Ali Funeka bout on February 15, 2009, Strikeforce: Miami on January 30, 2010, UFC on FX 3 on June 8, 2012, UFC Fight Night: Jacaré vs. Hermansson on April 27, 2019, and an exhibition boxing match between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and John Gotti III on June 11, 2023. Professional wrestling events include WCW Monday Nitro on November 2, 1998, WWF Raw Is War on May 11, 1999, WCW Bash At The Beach on July 11, 1999, WWF Armageddon on December 12, 1999, WWF Raw Is War on April 10, 2000, WWF SmackDown on July 6, 2000, WWF SmackDown on November 23, 2000, WWE Armageddon on December 15, 2002, WWE Raw on January 10, 2005, WWE Raw on November 19, 2007, WWE SmackDown on February 19, 2015, AEW Dynamite on April 26, 2023, WWE Raw on August 19, 2024, and WWE SmackDown on February 20, 2026. Bull riding events include a PBR Built Ford Tough Series event in September 2005 won by Kody Lostroh, and an annual event by the Florida Freedom PBR bull riding team every August since 2024. Other events include a Barack Obama rally on May 23, 2008, another Obama rally on October 29, 2008, a Donald Trump rally on August 10, 2016, a CNN town hall on gun control on February 21, 2018, XXXTentacion's fan memorial and public funeral on June 27, 2018, and a Donald Trump campaign rally on November 26, 2019. The arena was formerly home to the Florida Pit Bulls, Miami Caliente, Florida Bobcats, and Florida ThunderCats, and hosts the annual Orange Bowl Basketball Classic. Seating capacity: concerts 23,000, basketball 20,737, ice hockey 19,250, theatre 3,000. Arena floor space is 17,000 square feet. Parking totals 7,045 spaces.

Did You Know?

• The arena was originally named the National Car Rental Center after naming rights were won in July 1998.
• The arena opened on October 3, 1998, with a Celine Dion concert.
• The arena hosted the first official shootout in NHL history during the 2003 NHL All-Star Game.
• The arena is currently the largest in Florida.

Foundations and Early Resilience

The arena was completed in 1998 at a cost of US$185 million, almost entirely publicly financed. It features 70 suites with wet bars, closed circuit monitors, and leather upholstery, as well as 2,623 club seats. Construction was generated by over fifty subcontractors and 2.3 million man hours without a single injury. 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 Panthers owner Wayne Huizenga in January 1997. A certificate of occupancy was given on September 12, 1998, and the arena opened on October 3, 1998, with a Celine Dion concert.

Confronting Historical Legacies

The source does not provide information about historical legacies related to slavery or corporate apologies. This section cannot be written based on the provided source.

The Merger and Corporate Transformation

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

Brand Evolution and Community Presence

The arena's naming rights have changed multiple times. It opened as the National Car Rental Center in 1998. It became the Office Depot Center in the summer of 2002. On September 6, 2005, it became the BankAtlantic Center. After BB&T acquired BankAtlantic in July 2012, the arena was rebranded as the BB&T Center. In October 2012, Sunrise Sports and Entertainment completed installation of the Club Red [now Amerant Vault], a 12,000+ square-foot exclusive lounge. On May 14, 2013, Broward County voted to fund a new scoreboard, which debuted on October 11, 2013. The arena hosted the 2023 NHL All-Star Game on February 4, 2023, and the third and fourth games of the 2023 Stanley Cup Final. It also hosted the first, second, fifth, and seventh games of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final, with the final game resulting in the Panthers clinching the Stanley Cup.