GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The University of Florida is planning the most expensive — and potentially most comprehensive — stadium renovation in college football history, a $1.45 billion overhaul of Ben Hill Griffin Stadium that school officials believe will nearly double annual revenue from their “$75 million ATM machine.”
The Gators unveiled renderings and details of the burgeoning project at a UF Board of Trustees meeting Thursday, providing the total budget (up from $400 million) as well as a start date (after the 2026 season) and a completion date (before the 2030 season). The board said the transformation will “breathe new life into one of the nation’s most iconic college football venues and elevate it into the premier collegiate athletic destination that sets the standard for everyone else.”
“Every inch of this stadium is going to be affected,” athletic director Scott Stricklin said.
Florida started looking at ways to upgrade the venue popularly known as “the Swamp” in 2018. The process was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic and ended up morphing into a “50-year solution” instead of a “short-term fix,” Stricklin said.
Florida generates $75 million a year from the nearly 100-year-old stadium from tickets, concessions, parking and contributions. Stricklin called it “a $75 million ATM machine” and the athletic department’s “most important asset.”