Mount Dora High School has finished a $6.1 million overhaul of its football stadium, capping a five-year community campaign that finally solved a drainage problem dating back to the venue's original 1961 construction. The renovated facility, now formally named W.T. Bland, Jr. Stadium at Mount Dora Community Trust Field, was dedicated with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on August 19 before hosting its first home game against rival Eustis High School under the Friday night lights.
The Hurricanes beat Eustis 19-14 in that inaugural game, according to MaxPreps, pushing Mount Dora's 2026 season record to 1-1. Lake County Schools Superintendent Kyle Bracewell said the project reflects a broader vision for the campus. “It’s building for the future,” Bracewell said, as reported by Spectrum News 13. He also noted that the upgraded stadium now includes switchbacks for wheelchair access, part of new ADA-compliant improvements built into the site.
A Decades-Old Spring Finally Gets Fixed
For years, the original playing surface at Mount Dora High sat above a natural subterranean spring that regularly turned the field into a swamp after rainfall, often requiring days of drying time before games could safely be played, according to Mount Dora Buzz. The renovation resolved those long-standing drainage issues, per Spectrum News 13, ending a headache that had dogged the venue since it opened in 1961. Community organizer John Pease told the outlet the finished product surpassed what he had imagined at the outset.
Beyond the field itself, the renovation added new concession stands, a new press box, and an updated home side for students and families, per the same account. Head coach Jason Strickland said the modernized facility has reenergized both the football program and the surrounding community, according to Spectrum News 13's report.
Five Years From Fundraiser to Ribbon-Cutting
The push to rebuild the stadium began in September 2021 as part of Mount Dora High School's 100th-anniversary celebration, led by then-principal Marlene Straughan and a committee of parent volunteers, according to Mount Dora Buzz. Fundraising that year included selling engraved bricks to residents for $100 to $250 apiece, and the first construction phase launched in early 2022 with a $1.25 million budget covering the field reconstruction, two new concession stands, fresh paint, and landscaping, the outlet reported. The overall project ultimately stretched across five years, from that initial 2021 fundraising push to this month's completion, per Spectrum News 13.
Financing for the full $6.1 million modernization came through a public-private partnership. The Mount Dora Community Trust contributed more than $1 million, including a $500,000 matching grant pledged back when fundraising began, while the W.T. Bland Jr. Foundation also donated more than $1 million, per Spectrum News 13 and confirmed by Inside Lake. The Lake County School Board supported the project as well, rounding out the funding alongside the community and foundation gifts. The W.T. Bland Jr. Charitable Trust, established after the 2016 death of Central Florida citrus grower William T. Bland III, holds roughly $42 million in assets and distributes more than $2 million annually to Lake County causes, according to Cause IQ.
Construction Team and What's Left to Finish
Orlando-based Williams Company served as construction manager on the modernization, working alongside design and engineering partners Jass and Associates Architecture, Halff, and Southeastern Surfaces & Equipment, according to a Mount Dora High School Facebook post cited by Inside Lake. Head football coach Luke Hutchinson, hired in January 2022 as initial field construction began, brought 13 years of coaching experience in Florida and California, including a 2015 CIF championship as a defensive coordinator at Riverside Notre Dame, per Mount Dora Buzz's archives from that period.
Not every element of the project is finished. Mount Dora High still plans to resurface and re-stripe the track, according to Spectrum News 13, meaning some work will continue even as the football stadium itself is fully operational. Mount Dora High School serves roughly 1,500 students in grades 9 through 12 and offers advanced academics through the Cambridge AICE program, per Niche. The completed stadium has already changed the atmosphere around campus, with the new facility drawing more people out to games, Spectrum News 13 reported.
