Beginning around 2000 , the Magic began to push the City of Orlando for a brand new arena , replacing the TD Waterhouse Centre . Since the city , as well as Orange County , were not keen on picking up the tab for a second facility in a little over a decade , the Magic stated they would contribute to the cost of building it . They did not , however , say how much . They also indicated they expected public dollars to be used , too . Discussions became contentious in 2001 , as the team threatened to look elsewhere if Orlando would not build a new arena , or contribute a significant amount to a renovation . At the time , the team was losing $ 8 million annually . Magic President Bob Vander Weide stated , " If we ca n't break even in the long term and we ca n't stay competitive , maybe this is n't the best place for us . " The Magic outlined where an arena should be built , the potential cost , what type of tax should pay for it and what could be done with the existing building once it was abandoned by the team . In a meeting with county and city officials , team owner DeVos said he was seeking $ 200 million in public money , including $ 121.5 million from the tourist tax collected by the county , $ 50 million from the city of Orlando and $ 28.5 million from the state . Officials were staunchly opposed . Any plans for renovation or replacement relied on tourist-tax revenue , and after the terrorist attacks of 9/11 , the numbers of tourists in the area declined sharply . Then-Orlando Mayor Glenda Hood and Orange County Mayor Rich Crotty were close to a deal for a major renovation , but talks were broken off for several years due to the sagging tourist tax dollars . At the grand opening of the Amway Center on October 1 , 2010 , Crotty remarked " When I look around this building , I think to myself , ' Boy , am I glad that did n't work . ' Sometimes good comes out of bad . " On September 29 , 2006 , the City of Orlando and Orange County finally came to an agreement on a $ 1.1-billion improvement package that included $ 480 million for a new arena . The Magic would provide $ 114 million in cash and up-front lease payments and guarantee $ 100 million in bonds toward the arena . The venue plan received final approval on July 26 , 2007 , and the arena was completed in time for the 2010 – 11 NBA season . Amway Arena 's last day of operation was September 30 , 2010 , as arena operations then moved to the new Amway Center
9/11
September 11 attacks
Amway Arena