Local

City officials present Citrus Bowl renovations

ORLANDO, Fla. — The designs for the $175 million renovations for the Citrus Bowl in downtown Orlando were presented by city officials Monday.

After decades of memorable football, the field itself is about the only thing that won't be changing at the Citrus Bowl.

“The entire lower bowl will be brand new, so 80 percent of the stadium will be a brand new stadium,” said Mayor Buddy Dyer.

For the fan, the new Citrus Bowl means no more bleachers, but individual seats with arms and backs, and six inches more legroom.

The city has nine months to finish it if it wants to host the 2014 bowl games.

The Citrus Bowl is already booked for bowl games, and construction crews have promised games won't have to be relocated.

That means getting all of the construction done in just nine months from the first demolition in February, to the first football game, the Florida Classic, the following November.

The mayor conceded the nine-month construction schedule is aggressive, but he said the team chosen to do the renovations was chosen specifically because the city is confident they can get it done.