Hillsborough County commissioners voted on Feb. 21 to spend an additional $61 million on Amalie Arena improvements, bringing the county's total investment to $108.5 million dollars by 2030. In exchange, the Tampa Bay Lightning are prevented from relocating before 2037 or face stiff financial penalties.

  • Funds for improvements to come from bed tax
  • Only one vote on commission against improvements
  • Improvements will focus on plumbing, air conditioning, tech upgrades

The funds for the improvements will come from county bed tax collections. Commissioner Ken Hagan said upgrades are critical to help the arena attract major events.

"Amalie Arena is nice, but we are competing with newer facilities, notably one that's 60 miles away -- the Amway Center in Orlando. That competition is fierce, so it is in our economic interest to continue to invest in this county-owned asset," Hagan said.

Commissioner Stacy White was the only member of the commission to vote against it, questioning whether the tourism tax dollars could be used for other things.

"I felt it would be premature to be spending such a large amount of revenue without knowing if it would become available in the future for other critical needs, particularly infrastructure or transportation," White said in a statement.

Commissioner Pat Kemp, meanwhile, said the arena is a big draw and a sound investment.

"It's really a critical piece of downtown. It has really changed downtown," she said.

The latest round of improvements will focus on things like plumbing and air conditioning, as well as upgrades to the food and beverage areas and technology.