The renovation of the Florida Theatre is taking another step with work on its second floor at 128 E. Forsyth St. Downtown.
The city issued a building permit May 20 for Auld & White Constructors LLC to build-out the space at a job cost of $1.1 million.
The project is the next phase of the $10 million renovation announced in July 2019 that is scheduled to be completed in time for the historic venue’s centennial celebration in 2027.
“It is the first expansion of the public space in almost 100 years,” said Numa Saisselin, president of the Florida Theatre Center for the Performing Arts, the nonprofit that manages the city-owned theater and office building.
Saisselin said the project will create a 3,000-square-foot VIP lounge for donors and supporters connected with the mezzanine.
The hospitality amenity is scheduled to open by Jan. 1, Saisselin said.
Larger seats were installed in the orchestra and balcony along with a new sound system in 2020 when the venue was forced to close to the public because of the coronavirus pandemic.
In 2021, new stage lights were installed and the architectural and engineering plans for the VIP lounge were finished, Saisselin said.
The renovation is supported by $5 million in matching funds approved in 2019 by City Council.
