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Here's what you need to know about Florida State's Doak Campbell renovation project
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- Here's what you need to know about Florida State's Doak Campbell renovation project
Athletics continued to be a hot topic at Florida State's Board of Trustees meeting last Friday.
But the topic had nothing to do with the Seminoles' status in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Multiple representatives, including FSU Athletic Director and Vice President Michael Alford, h eld an information session Friday regarding an estimated $210 million renovation to Doak Campbell Stadium.
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Pending approval by the board at the November 8-9 meeting, construction is expected to start in January 2024 and conclude in October 2025.
Here is what you need to know.
What are the renovations?
Alford shared in his presentation renderings made by Populous design firm showing what the renovations would look like. They include the following:
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Renovated concourse and concession stands now have a ceiling, as compared to just covering by the stands that there is now. A renovated entrance to the Seminole Field Club with a lit-up sign.
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New concession concepts would be located throughout the stadium.
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Remodeled club seats in the south endzone. There are currently 5,900 seats and according to Alford, there has never been over 51 percent sold out. New seating options are going to be made available outside of chairback. Want to have six to eight different price points compared to the one there is now.
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Loge box seating installed about 30 rows off the field in front of Founders seats.
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West side seating expanded from goal line to goal line and tread depth increased from 16 inches to 18 inches.
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There were no talks or renderings of a roof added to Doak Campbell Stadium.
This will impact seating for the 2024 season. Alford said season ticket holders will have a seat, but it will be a tighter fit. All the seats removed on the west side will be replaced by temporary seating.
The next steps are to have the master plan and cost estimates assess return on investment updated, and have full approval by the board before the November Board of Trustees meeting.
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According to senior vice president for finance and administration Kyle Clark, they are planning to make a five-year pledge on the maximum $255 million debt, waiting for approval from the Board of Governors.
Why are these renovations being done?
Florida State Athletics Director Michael Alford talks with Tallahassee Chamber of Commerce Conference attendees during a break on Saturday, Aug. 19, 2023.
FSU sent out a survey to its season ticket holders, asking multiple questions ranging from ticket renewal to what they'd like to see renovated, and where the season ticket holders' seats are in the stadium.
94 percent of those who took the survey said they would not oppose stadium enhancements if re-seating was required. The biggest interest from the survey came in adding chairback seats (64 percent) and ledge seats (22 percent).
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Alford also talked about how FSU is behind in stadium investments compared to the rest of the ACC and the top 20 attended schools in the country.
FSU has made $85 million in stadium investments in the past 20 years, which is eighth in the ACC. Clemson has made the most investments in its stadium with $163.7 million invested. Nationally, FSU ranks 17th out of 20, with Texas A&M making the most stadium investments at $518 million.
These proposed renovations to Doak Campbell would bump FSU's investment into the stadium to $295 million, which would lead the ACC and rank fifth nationally behind Tennessee ($316.4 million).
FSU also leads the country in distance traveled from its fanbase with 55 percent traveling over 200 miles to Tallahassee.
FSU Board of Trustees Chair Peter Collins.
"They're coming from Miami, Jacksonville, Orlando, Tampa, Atlanta. They all have new stadiums in those markets and professional teams," Alford said. "When you look at the product we have to deliver to keep our fanbase and $100 million of economic impact we have on Tallahassee and Leon County every year. We need to offer those same types of products."
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Board of Trustees Chairman Peter Collins talked about how big of an investment into athletics this would be and the importance of the board being informed.
"I wanted the board to be able to see this," Collins said. "I wanted AD Alford and VP [Kyle] Clark to be able to talk with you all about this. If you have any questions, I want them to reach out to you individually and go through this. I think it's important to be absolutely fully informed on this before we take action."
At the same time, Collins emphasized the importance of renovating the stadium.
"I'm a Boy Scout. I'm an Eagle Scout and I used to go camping," Collins said. "If we camped the same way we did 40 years ago, I probably wouldn't like camping. We're still camping in this stadium."
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Jack Williams covers Florida State athletics for Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at jwilliams@tallahassee.com or on Twitter @jackgwilliams.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Florida State Board of Trustees informed on Doak Campbell renovation project
