[8] In June 1996, the site was chosen by the Panthers, and in July, Alex Muxo gathered more than a dozen architects, engineers and contractors for the first major design brainstorming session.

Architects Ellerbe Becket were given 26 months to build the arena, which had to be ready by August 30, 1998, to accommodate the 1998–99 NHL season.

Also home to private lounge box seating, all construction activity was generated by over fifty subcontractors and 2.3 million man hours without a single injury.

The next day, Elton John performed, and on October 9, 1998, the Florida Panthers had their first home game at their new arena, a 4–1 win against their cross-state rival, The Tampa Bay Lightning.

[12][13] In October 2012, Sunrise Sports and Entertainment completed installation of the Club Red [now Amerant Vault] [14] which is a 12,000+ square-foot exclusive lounge for concerts, shows, and events including a center ice view for hockey games.

The arena hosted an exhibition boxing match between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and John Gotti III, on June 11, 2023.

This arena also serves as the host for the Orange Bowl Basketball Classic held every December in conjunction with the namesake college football game.