The Florida Panthers are kicking off their season in October and fans planning their trip to Sunrise should know that they’ll be heading to the Amerant Bank Arena.
FLA Live Arena will be no more as the team announced Tuesday that they have reached a deal with Amerant Bank to officially rename the 20,000-capacity venue.
“After a comprehensive search with WME Sports over the past year, we felt expanding our experienced and successful partnership with Amerant Bank would be the best business decision to align with both our goals of delivering first-class customer service and serving our local South Florida community,” said Panthers President & CEO Matt Caldwell in a statement.
If the name rings a bell, Amerant has been partnering with the NHL team since 2021, when they became the first-ever official home helmet partner for the ’21-22 season. The following season, Amerant expanded their investment by becoming the home and away helmet partner and entitling the arena’s premium club area to the Amerant Vault.
Financial details were not disclosed, but the Sports Business Journal reported that the naming rights agreement will last until at least 2028, when the Florida Panthers’ lease for the arena with Broward County expires.
The arena has been home to the Panthers since 1998. It has undergone several name changes throughout the years, starting as the National Car Rental Center (1998-2002), then the Office Depot Center (2002-2005), Bank Atlantic Center (2005-2012), BB&T Center (2012-2021) and most recently the FLA Live Arena.
Additionally, the venue has played host to the 2001 and 2015 National Hockey League Drafts and the 2003 and 2023 NHL All-Star Game, as well as acting as the annual home for Y100 Jingle Ball and AutoNation Orange Bowl Basketball Classic.