Rick Outzen January 20, 2026 1 Comment
A comprehensive feasibility study commissioned by Escambia County reveals ambitious plans to modernize the aging Pensacola Bay Center and add two major new facilities that could generate nearly $60 million in annual economic impact for the region.
The study by CSL and Legends Global outlines a three-pronged approach: renovating the existing 40-year-old arena, building a new multipurpose event center, and constructing a practice ice rink—all connected as an integrated campus. The Board of County Commissioners will receive a representation of the report at its board meeting on Thursday, Jan. 22. See 2026 Bay Center Report.
The Current Situation: The Pensacola Bay Center, which opened in 1985, has served as a community asset for nearly four decades, hosting thousands of events, including Pensacola Ice Flyers hockey games, concerts, and the Sun Belt Conference Basketball Championships. The facility currently averages 123 annual events with 352,700 in attendance.
- The study identifies significant “operating inefficiencies and lost economic opportunities due to facility age, space deficiencies, and proximate hospitality product support.”
Three Major Components
The proposed 105,000-square-foot multipurpose event center would feature:
- 55,500 net square feet of column-free event space (185′ x 300′)
- Moveable airwalls allowing subdivision into three halls
- 35-foot minimum ceiling height
- 6,000 square feet of breakout meeting space
- Portable retractable seating for 2,000
- Warming/prep kitchen
The facility would be connected to the existing Bay Center via enclosed walkway and designed to host conventions, trade shows, consumer shows, banquets, and amateur sports tournaments…