This multi-purpose Broward County Arena, now known as the FLA Live Arena, was designed and built on 139 acres in only 26 months—the shortest time ever for a facility of its kind. The deadline was needed to meet the goal of having the Florida Panthers participate in the Fall 1999 hockey season. The 1.1 million sq. ft. facility includes 19,000 theater-style cushioned seats, a professional ice rink, as well as a gift shop, food court, bars and restaurants. Over 50 subcontractors were hired to complete 2.3 million man hours of work during two shifts daily, seven days per week, resulting in an on-time and on-budget delivery.
More than 600 construction workers set masonry, erected drywall, ran plumbing lines, installed air conditioning and ran miles of conduit for the electrical systems. Nearly 500 more workers installed the seats, carpeting and tile. Seventy suites were completed with wet bars, individual restrooms and closed circuited monitors. Averaging over 650 square feet, the suites are the largest in the country for this type of facility.
As one of eight Project Managers, Dave Rosenof was responsible for document and budget control. Utilizing a staff of three and getting information about change orders and costs from site Project Managers, he kept information flowing and provided cost exposure reports to the owner on a regular basis. Dave stayed with the project for a year after the arena opened, closing out the project, solving warranty issues, and developing relationships with the client to be certain they remained satisfied with the project.
This work was completed while Dave Rosenof was employed by Centex Rooney Construction Company.
