History Fort Lauderdale Honors Florida Panthers At History Makers Fundraiser, Raising $60,000

History Fort Lauderdale honored the Florida Panthers, back-to-back 2024 and 2025 Stanley Cup Champions, at its 29th annual History Makers fundraiser, raising more than $60,000 in support of the organization’s mission to preserve local history, promote historical literacy, and foster civic pride.

Held January 8 at War Memorial Auditorium, the evening brought together hundreds of community supporters, civic leaders, and sports fans. The event was presented by Alligator Ron & Ali Bergeron, Miles & Tara Forman, and the Murphy Family Charitable Trust, and was hosted by Donovan Campbell of WSVN 7.

The program opened with a VIP tour led by Keith Fine, Vice President of Programming and Development for the Florida Panthers, who shared the team’s journey toward redeveloping War Memorial Auditorium. Guests then enjoyed a cocktail reception, silent auction, and meet-and-greet with Panthers alumni Serge Payer and Peter Worrell, along with the opportunity to view memorabilia from the Wayne Huizenga collection donated to History Fort Lauderdale.

During the stage presentation, past History Maker honoree Bob Denison of Denison Yachting spoke about the Panthers’ role in redevelopment efforts and emphasized the importance of sustaining cultural institutions like History Fort Lauderdale for future generations.

City leaders including Dean Trantalis, Vice Mayor John Herbst, and Commissioners Steve Glassman, Ben Sorensen, and Pamela Beasley-Pittman, joined Erin Farrington Finlen to present Panthers COO Rob Stevenson with a commemorative plaque recognizing the team’s legacy of sportsmanship, philanthropy, civic responsibility, and historic preservation. Mayor Trantalis also issued a proclamation naming the Florida Panthers as this year’s History Makers.

According to the Fort Lauderdale Downtown Development Authority, the Panthers have generated at least $110 million in local economic impact over the past two seasons during extended playoff runs, with expectations of continued growth. The organization has invested $100 million in community infrastructure, including the Baptist Health ICEPLEX practice facility and the revitalization of War Memorial Auditorium. Since the 2016–17 season, the Florida Panthers Foundation has contributed more than $8 million to South Florida nonprofits.

Sponsors of the 29th annual History Makers fundraiser included Baptist Health, the City of Fort Lauderdale, Denison Yachting, Hudson Family Foundation, FPL, Allini Water Filters, CBI, Cathy & James Donnelly Charitable Fund, Fort Lauderdale Downtown Development Authority, Hooper Construction, Miller Construction Company, Core Construction, Pier Sixty-Six, Wards Marine Electric, Waste Management, The Kelley Law Firm, Gulf Stream Distillery, Tarpon River Brewery, Revolution Live, Primo Liquors, Bob Golden, GPR | Goodman Public Relations, 41 North, and Sun Sentinel Media Group.

For more information about History Fort Lauderdale, visit historyfortlauderdale.org or call (954) 463-4431.

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