Yahoo Sports Florida residents, mayor upset after Hertz announces plan to paint hockey arena bright yellow
Hertz is preparing to take over the naming rights of Germain Arena in Estero, Florida, the home of the Florida Everblades.
As a part of the deal, the car rental company is planning to redesign the outside of the arena — though Estero residents aren’t too happy about the proposed changes.
Hertz, who is based in Estero, announced plans last week to paint the outside of the arena bright yellow and black in an effort to match its company colors.
While it would be unusual to have an arena painted bright yellow, on the surface it sounds like a solid marketing plan for Hertz. A bright yellow arena would definitely be great advertising for the company.
Yet many in Estero, which sits just south of Fort Myers, Florida, are upset about the bright color — including the mayor, who said he thinks it would “set a new standard” for the town that residents would not like.
“The bottom line is that color doesn’t belong in Estero,” mayor Jim Boesch told USA Today. “That would be my position. It’s too bold.”
Hertz revealed the new design at an Estero Design Review Board meeting last week. The design still needs to be approved by the board, which could happen at its next meeting on Oct. 10.
“We’re proud of the proposed exterior building design because it reflects our iconic Hertz brand and complements our world headquarters in Estero and Southwest Florida,” Hertz said in a statement. “We want to share that pride with the community, those who travel to the area and everyone who attends events at Hertz Arena.”
The village council, though, likely won’t have a say in the decision. Per the report, the design board usually makes decisions like this by itself — especially when it’s only a simple matter like a new paint job.
Boesch said he hopes to find a compromise with Hertz, and that the board will make a right decision.
“If they are not willing to compromise then I don’t know what we will do, but certainly we are not going to allow that kind of yellow facing thousands of residents every day,” Boesch told USA Today.
Germain Arena opened in Estero in 1998. The 8,500 seat arena hosts the Florida Everblades, a minor league hockey team affiliated with the Carolina Hurricanes.
More from Yahoo Sports:
• Tiger’s win is the greatest comeback in sports history
• White Sox star says what many think about umpire
• Charles Robinson: Latest flag on Packers’ Matthews may be worst yet
• Rams’ Gurley really isn’t a fan of Thursday games
