Southeast’s Top Projects - 4

Orlando Events Center

Project Cost: $280 million

The Orlando Events Center is the first project of a three-venue, nearly $1-billion municipal program to enhance Orlando downtown’s entertainment options. The center will serve as home to the National Basketball Association’s Orlando Magic. The team is developing the 18,500-seat NBA arena, and the city will operate it and rent it for concerts, exhibitions and other events once it opens in the third quarter of 2010.

The project’s $480 million overall cost includes $380 million for the building’s construction; $40 million for the land; and $60 million for infrastructure and parking.

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Hunt Construction Group of Orlando, in association with local minority firms Rey Group, R.L. Burns, HZ Construction and Albu & Associates, hold a general construction contract worth $280 million. The team broke ground on the concrete structure last year. The MBE/ DBE firms hold 30% of the overall general construction contract. RDV Sports, the Magic’s parent company, pitched in $50 million, and lease payments from the team will bring in another $12 million. The project relies on $270 million in Tourist Development Tax bonds.

Key Facts:

Location: Orlando
Owner: City of Orlando
Program Manager: Turner Construction Co., Orlando
Contractor: Hunt Construction Group of Orlando, with Rey Group, R.L. Burns, HZ Construction and Albu & Associates, all of Orlando
Designers: HOK Sport, Kansas City, Mo.; C.T. Hsu + Associates, Orlando; Baker Barrios Architects, Orlando.
Start Date: 2008
Completion Date: 2010