The Tallahassee-Leon County Civic Center is the Big Bend's Premiere Entertainment Facility offering a wide variety of quality entertainment, convention and meeting facilities to the Capital City and surrounding areas.
The 1999-2000 fiscal year at the Civic Center was an exciting one in this newly renovated facility.


A $24 million renovation to the Civic Center was completed with the addition of luxury suites and club seats, new restrooms and concession stands, smoking decks and more. November, 1999 marked the opening of the Civic Center's brand new arena-view restaurant, Spotlight Grille.


Some 744,168 patrons enjoyed not only sports events such as FSU Basketball, Tiger Sharks Hockey, Tallahassee Thunder Arena Football2 and WWF Smackdown, but also musical concerts by Styx, Ray Charles, the Goo Goo Dolls and Reba McEntire. Other events of Fiscal Year 1999-2000 included the FSU Homecoming PowWow featuring Sinbad, The Harlem Globetrotters, Sesame Street Live, Monster Trucks Summer Nationals, ECW Wrestling, World War II Recognition and Remembrance featuring Connie Haines, Disney's Jungle Adventures on Ice and Bobby Bowden's Twenty-Fifth Anniversary Extravaganza featuring Three Dog Night, Paul Revere & The Raiders, Gladys Knight and more.


The 1999-2000 Tallahassee Broadway Series featured 6 Broadway shows including The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber, Riverdance-The Show and Chicago, The Musical. The third annual Kids Night on Broadway in Tallahassee was celebrated with a special pre-show party before the performance of The King and I, the Broadway musical. The Kids Night Blast included entertainment by members of Tallahassee's Young Actor's Theatre plus cast members of The King and I. Food and goody bags for the kids were also provided for those in attendance. Kids Night in Tallahassee gives children the opportunity to see a Broadway show for FREE when accompanied by a paying adult, as well as educating our youth about the Broadway theatre.


The Civic Center hosted 708 events for a total of 827 event days. The following information will give you an idea of how we spent the 1999-2000 fiscal year.

The Tallahassee-Leon County Civic Center is known and admired throughout the industry as one of the most dynamic facilities for its size and market. First class facilities include a 35,000 sq. ft. exhibition hall with six connecting meeting rooms, Centre Catering, a full service catering department and a sales staff experienced to accommodate most any style convention or trade show-or simply serve dinner for 1,000. The six meeting rooms are fully carpeted and equipped with sound systems and adjustable lighting. This 16,000 square feet of meeting space can be divided into a variety of floor plans and can accommodate from small gatherings to large galas up to 1,000 people.


Acclaimed for its ability to house major meetings, entertainment and athletic events, the Civic Center provided the home court for Florida State University Seminoles basketball, rink for the Tallahassee Tiger Sharks (ECHL) and the playing field for the Tallahassee Thunder Arena Football2. Not to mention a broad range of cultural events-from concerts, family shows and ice shows, to Olympic athletes and the Tallahassee Broadway Series.


The Civic Center has a 13,500 seat, 18,000 sq. ft. arena featuring Centre Suites and Club Seats, plus the Spotlight Grille, an arena view restaurant. The Civic Center has completed the final phase of a $24 million Luxury Suites and Club Seat expansion project where 34 Luxury Suites and 468 Club Seats were added at mid level in the arena. Spotlight Grille, the Civic Center's new restaurant featuring delicious fare in a casual setting, opened in early November 1999. It features an indoor dining room and bar area, big screen tvs, outdoor patio, plus ledge seating for viewing arena events. Now it is feasible to have an unforgettable meal and watch an event simultaneously! In addition, the Civic Center added a new four-sided center hung MegaVision video display, a state-of-the-art sound system and four new scoreboards in the upper corners of the arena.


The Tallahassee Tiger Sharks opened up the 1999-2000 hockey season to a crowd of 3,459 on October 22, 1999. The Tiger Sharks played 35 games on their home ice at the Civic Center. Paul Buczkowski led the team in scoring with 25 goals and 44 assists for 69 points. The Tiger Sharks demonstrated their skill by breaking or tying nine of their previous records in the 1999-2000 season. With an average attendance of 2,961 per game, the Tiger Sharks continued to thrill fans with their exciting play action of the East Coast Hockey League and provided entertainment for the whole family.


Led by a strong core of experienced seniors, the 1999-2000 Florida State University men's basketball team continued on its path to prosperity under the direction of head coach Steve Robinson. The Seminoles nearly finished fifth in the ACC standings and won their first-round ACC Tournament game for the second consecutive season. Robinson's third season as the Seminole's head coach finished with a 12-17 overall record and 6-10 ACC slate. Seniors, Ron Hale and Damous Anderson, led the FSU team in scoring, while sharing the team MVP honors. Point Guard, Delvon Arrington led the Seminoles in assists (6.3 apg) and steals (1.5 spg). Florida State gained one of the biggest victories in school history at home in the Civic Center, when it defeated 21st ranked and eventual Final Four team, North Carolina, on national television. Anderson and Hale led the Seminoles in the scoring to a 76-71 ACC victory.


The 1999-2000 season for the Florida State University women's basketball team was its best season ever under head Coach Sue Semrau. Latavia Coleman, Brooke Wyckoff and April Traylor all received All-ACC honors while Coleman was the first FSU player since 1993 to earn ACC All-Tournament first team honors. Latavia Coleman was the team's most valuable player where she ranked first on the team and second in the ACC in scoring at 16.1 points per game. Junior standout, Brooke Wyckoff, led the FSU women in free throws and rebounding. Angela Sutton led the team in steals with 68 and was among the top 10 in the ACC in steals per game.


The Tallahassee Thunder is the new arena football team and part of the ArenaFootball2 League. They kicked off their inaugural season on April 7, 2000 with a 31-27 win against the Roanoke Steam. The Thunder's offense proved to be one of the very best in the league, finishing first with an average of 290.6 yards a game. Leading the way were Offensive Specialist Carl Bond and Quarterback Shane Stafford. Bond led the league in receptions (138) and receiving yards (2086), while teammate Stafford finished second in passing yards (4394) and total offense (4370). The Thunder averaged over 5,800 fans per game and played an 8 game home schedule.


Florida State University ACC Basketball, Tallahassee Tiger Sharks ECHL Hockey and the Tallahassee Thunder Arena Football 2 were the major tenants of the Tallahassee-Leon County Civic Center during fiscal year 1999-2000. As a sports facility, the Civic Center provided the home base for the Seminoles, the Tiger Sharks and the Thunder for a total of 75 ticketed events. Some 378,775 patrons attended sports events at the Civic Center during the 1999-2000 fiscal year.


Not only is the Tallahassee Civic Center a popular venue for a variety of entertainment, it also serves as a primary meeting location for many types of activities. Fiscal year 1999-2000 was a busy year for both the Sales and Catering Departments at the Civic Center. Many civic organizations and businesses, such as the Rotary Club of Tallahassee, Tallahassee Chamber of Commerce, Women's Forum and the Tallahassee Society of Association Executives, used the Civic Center's meeting rooms and Exhibition Hall for a variety of functions including luncheons and banquets, theme parties, legislative functions, seminars, wedding receptions, proms and more.


The Centre Catering staff served 59,864 meals at various food functions. With 52,000 square feet of meeting and dining space available, the Sales Staff coordinated 513 events at the Civic Center during the fiscal year 1999-2000 for a total of 595 event days. In addition, the Civic Center offers Off-Site Catering, which provides food services for a variety of functions including wedding receptions and legislative events. The Civic Center received excellent ratings on food and services while offering a variety of creative menus prepared by its award winning Chef and catering staff for various events.


The Civic Center was also the site of local high school and college graduations with 58,700 guests in attendance. Trade shows during the 1999-2000 Fiscal Year included The Big Boys Tech and Toy Show, Florida Women's Show, North Florida Home Show, Government and Technology Conference and North Florida Boat Show.



Public Ice Skating continued to be a popular activity for all ages and was offered at various times during the Winter and Spring months. In addition, the Civic Center offers Learn to Skate classes, which follow the United States Figure Skating Association guidelines for ages four through adult. Tallahassee Youth Hockey, the Adult Hockey League and FSU Ice Hockey also practiced and held classes at the Civic Center throughout the Fall and Winter months.