GAINESVILLE, Fla.– The University of Florida last week officially unveiled renderings for the upcoming record-breaking $1.45 billion renovation to Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, while emphasizing that the soul of the Swamp would remain intact.
As UF looks to make the stadium more Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant — which includes wider aisles and new railings in the bowl — the university is spending over $600 million to accommodate the ADA requirements while keeping the current capacity of 88,548 by building new premium and club seating options that wrap around the stadium and standing room party decks in between the north deck and the east and west stands.
With capacity not changing despite the new premium seating options and as a result of ADA compliance, Florida could lose around 8,000 seats in the lower bowl, AD Scott Stricklin said during a recent appearance on ESPN WRUF in Gainesville.
“No one is out to say, ‘Let’s take out 8,000 seats out of the bowl.’ The law requires us, if we’re going to renovate the Swamp, to get up to life safety standards and building codes that currently exist, and by doing that, you lose about 8,000 (seats),” Stricklin said.
Before the release of the renderings, Stricklin told members of the media that becoming ADA-compliant without adding the new seating options would mean that Florida could have lost up to 10,000 seats in the lower bowl due to those ADA requirements regarding aisle width and handrails.
Stricklin echoed that in his interview with Russell.
“A simple thing such as handrails down the aisles in the Swamp in all the sections, which is something that is standard… The aisles are too narrow right now. We would not be allowed to go in with the current width of the aisles,” he told. “The fire marshals and others would not allow us to go put handrails in.”
The aforementioned new premium seating options, which wrap around the stadium from the northeast corner of the stadium to the southwest corner, mitigate the loss of bowl seats. Florida will revamp the current 82 suits while adding over 60 new suits to the stadium.
Stricklin added in his interview with Russell that those same premium seating options, all of which will have outdoor seating options attached to them, will help offset the pay for the entire renovation, something he also said before the renderings’ release.
“We’re trying to be really creative to make sure we have 88,000-plus every home game,” Stricklin said.
Other key aspects of the renovation include larger concourses and updated amenities such as bathrooms and concessions, larger video boards, as well as classic features of the stadium such as the orange wing walls and proximity of the lower bowl to the field.
Florida’s renovation to the Swamp, officially the most expensive in college football history, will begin construction after the 2026 season and is slated to be completed before the 2030 season. Construction will take place each offseason, with a specific timeline and other details such as ticket prices and specifics of the new premium seats to be released at a later date.
Stricklin also said that the specifics regarding seat loss in the lower bowl could change, as well, as Florida finalizes its contractor selection.
In last week’s Board of Trustees meeting, the university tabbed Manhattan Construction Group and Hunt Construction Group as partners for the construction management team.
The project is expected to go before the UF Board of Trustees in September for final approval. Stricklin does not anticipate holistic changes to the renovation between now and then.
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