How Florida Paints Flo-Coatings Protected Over 80,000 Square Feet at Raymond James Stadium
Raymond James Stadium is one of the most recognized entertainment and sports venues in the United States — a landmark facility that hosts world-class events year-round and draws millions of visitors to Tampa, Florida. When the Tampa Sports Authority needed a flooring solution that could stand up to the relentless demands of 80,000 square feet of high-traffic vehicle parking deck, they turned to Florida Paints and the Flo-Coatings system.
This is the story of how a local, Florida-proven product line delivered a best-in-class result at one of the highest-profile projects in the state, on deadline, through some of the most challenging weather conditions imaginable.
A Landmark Venue Demands a Best-in-Class Flooring System
Client Profile: Tampa Sports Authority
The Tampa Sports Authority is the governing body responsible for the management and upkeep of Raymond James Stadium, a world-class multi-purpose facility that serves as a hub for major sporting events, concerts, and large-scale community gatherings throughout the year. As a steward of one of Florida’s most high-profile public assets, the Authority holds every contractor and product to an exceptionally high standard.
Scale & Scope: 80,000 Square Feet of Venue and Parking Deck
The scope of this project is significant by any measure. Covering the full vehicle parking deck plus portions of the venue concourse of a world-famous venue. This is not a typical commercial job. The surfaces face constant vehicular and pedestrian traffic, exposure to Florida’s unforgiving climate, and zero tolerance for downtime around event schedules.
The project required complete removal or preparation of the previous coating system which had begun to fail in several areas followed by the installation of a multi-layer, high-performance system engineered for long-term protection and durability.
The Challenges: Florida Weather, Active Events & a Failing Previous Coating
This project is a masterclass in navigating real-world complexity. No controlled environment. No ideal conditions. Just Florida and a world-class venue that never sleeps.
Why Weather Is the Biggest Enemy of Exterior Floor Coatings in Florida
Florida’s climate presents a dual challenge that few other states can match. The project started during the winter months, where cold temperatures impacted product cure times and application windows. As work continued into the summer, the team faced the opposite extreme: intense heat, high humidity, and the near-daily threat of afternoon thunderstorms.
These are not minor inconveniences. Temperature and humidity fluctuations directly affect adhesion, dry times, and the integrity of every layer in a multi-coat system. Selecting the right products, ones engineered specifically for Florida conditions was not optional. It was essential.
Tight Event Deadlines: Working Around Concerts & Major Sporting Events
Raymond James Stadium hosts events on a packed annual calendar, concerts, championship games, large community events, and more. Each event creates a hard deadline. Sections must be cured, cleared, and ready before tens of thousands of guests arrive.
This demands more than just quality products. It demands a flooring system with predictable, reliable cure windows and a contractor-product relationship built on trust. Florida Paints’ Flo-Coatings system with its 16–24 hour foot traffic cure and 7-day vehicular cure profile gave the team the scheduling certainty they needed to stay on plan.
The Flo-Coatings Solution: A Proven 3-Step High-Performance System
Florida Paints’ Flo-Coatings vehicle parking deck system is purpose-built for exactly this type of project. Each layer serves a critical function, and together they form a cohesive, durable barrier engineered to perform across decades of heavy use.
Step 1: Surface Preparation — The Foundation That Makes Everything Work
No coating system can outperform its substrate preparation. The existing deck was scarified, shot-blasted, and/or diamond-ground to completely remove the failing previous coating and achieve a CSP-2/3 profile (4–10 mils depth) which is the optimal surface roughness for maximum adhesion.
Where cracks and voids existed, the team deployed 5780 Crack Filler (100% Solids Epoxy Crack Filler & Patching Compound) and 5789 Speed-Fill (2-Part Polyurea Crack Filler) to restore surface integrity before any coating was applied. Bird bath areas, low spots that collect standing water were addressed with a slurry of 5740 Flo-Poxy 100% Solids Self-Leveling Epoxy and silica sand, ensuring a fully level deck.
Step 2: Primer + Flexible Waterproofing Membrane — Built for Florida’s Demands
With the deck prepared, the system was applied in sequence:
- 5700 Flo-Poxy — 100% Solids Low Viscosity Epoxy Primer: Applied at 160–200 sq ft/gallon to achieve 8–10 mils dry film thickness. This primer penetrates deep into the concrete profile, locking in adhesion and sealing the substrate against moisture intrusion.
- 5720 Flo-Poxy M — 100% Solids Flexible Waterproofing Membrane: Applied in two coats (Base Coat + Traffic Coat) at 80–100 sq ft/gallon each, achieving 16–20 mils DFT per coat. This flexible membrane is the heart of the system, it bridges minor cracks, accommodates structural movement, and creates an impermeable waterproofing barrier that protects the concrete deck structure from moisture, chemicals, and freeze-thaw stress.
- Aluminum Oxide Broadcast: Immediately broadcast into the wet Traffic Coat, the 30-mesh aluminum oxide aggregate creates the slip-resistant texture essential for safe vehicle and pedestrian movement on parking surfaces.
Step 3: Polyaspartic Finish Coat — Custom Color, Extreme Durability
The system is sealed with 5768 Flo-Spartic, an 85% Solids 2-Part Polyaspartic Coating applied at 135–225 sq ft/gallon to achieve 6–10 mils DFT. Polyaspartic coatings represent the pinnacle of floor coating technology: exceptional UV stability, rapid cure times, outstanding abrasion resistance, and the ability to be applied across a wide temperature range.
For Raymond James Stadium, Florida Paints custom-formulated a proprietary color giving the finished deck a polished, professional appearance that reflects the prestige of the venue. This level of color customization is a hallmark of Florida Paints’ service model and a capability that mass-market coating suppliers simply cannot match.
Why Florida Paints FLO Coatings Is the Best Choice for High-Traffic Parking Decks
The Raymond James Stadium project is a demonstration of everything Florida Paints stands for. Here is what sets FLO Coatings apart from every other option in the market:
Florida-Tested. Florida-Proven. Every Flo-Coatings product is formulated and tested for Florida’s extreme heat, humidity, and UV exposure not adapted from products designed for all climates. | Custom Color Capability. From custom colors to any specification, Florida Paints delivers exact-match colors that generic coating suppliers cannot offer. |
Full-System Durability. Primer, membrane, topcoat all from one manufacturer, engineered to work together. No compatibility guesswork.. | Local Expertise & Technical Support. As a family-owned Florida business, our technical team is local, responsive, and invested in every project’s success from spec through final coat. |
Ready to Protect Your Facility? Talk to Florida Paints.
Whether you manage a parking structure, stadium, commercial facility, or industrial floor, the Flo-Coatings system is proven to perform, even at the highest-profile projects in the state. Contact Florida Paints today to request a product consultation, system specification, or contractor referral.
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Santiago Quintero
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