Getting to Sunrise
Almost everyone drives to this one. The arena sits out in western Broward in Sunrise, across from Sawgrass Mills and near the Sawgrass Expressway. From I-595, take the 136th Avenue exit and head north. 136th Avenue turns into Panther Parkway and runs right up to the arena. On the Sawgrass Expressway, the Pat Salerno Drive exit leads straight onto the arena grounds.
About 7,000 parking spaces surround the building, and prices change with the event. Weeknight shows mean rush hour on I-595 and the Sawgrass, so leave earlier than the map app suggests, and expect a slow line out of the lots afterward.
One arena, six names
The arena opened on October 3, 1998, with a Celine Dion concert, and Elton John played the next night. Broward County owns it. If you are searching an old name, here is the order.
- National Car Rental Center, 1998 to 2002
- Office Depot Center, 2002 to 2005
- BankAtlantic Center, 2005 to 2012
- BB&T Center, 2012 to 2021
- FLA Live Arena, 2021 to 2023
- Amerant Bank Arena, since 2023
Home ice
The Florida Panthers play here, and the arena hosted games in three straight Stanley Cup Finals from 2023 to 2025. The Panthers won the Cup in 2024 and again in 2025, both times on home ice. On concert nights the rink is covered over, and the building switches from hockey crowd to arena show.
The arena also hosted the NHL All-Star Game in 2003 and 2023, along with UFC cards and wrestling shows, so a crowd of every kind has learned the drive out to Sunrise.
Tips
Sawgrass Mills across the street is the obvious place to eat before doors. Door times and bag rules for the night are on your ticket. Miami's arena is Kaseya Center, the casino theater closer to the coast is Hard Rock Live in Hollywood, and every Broward date sits on the Fort Lauderdale page.
