LAND O’ LAKES — The Swamp is about to be drained and rebuilt.
Pasco County Schools will replace the stadiums at Land O’ Lakes and Hudson high schools, two of the oldest in the county, once football season ends. Both projects are expected to be finished in time for the 2027-28 school year.
The work follows the district’s renovation this past summer of W.F. Edwards Stadium at Pasco High, the county’s oldest school, which opened in 1889.
At Land O’ Lakes, John Benedetto Stadium, known as The Swamp, has hosted football, soccer, lacrosse and other events for 50 years. Its last game before construction was the 20th annual Butter Bowl on Oct. 23, when the Gators beat rival Sunlake 31-0 for their sixth straight win over the Seahawks.
Planned improvements include:
• New stadium facilities
• New locker rooms and multipurpose spaces for boys and girls
• A new football concessions and restroom building
• A new storage building
• Updates to the weight room and wrestling room
• The district’s third rubberized track
The stadium is named for John Benedetto, who coached the Gators for 32 years and won 196 games. It was dedicated in his honor in late 2012; he died about six months later at 66. Benedetto is a member of the school’s hall of fame, and his wife, Vanie, joined him there last week when she was inducted with a lifetime achievement award.
At Hudson, Cobras Stadium — nicknamed The Snake Pit — opened in 1973. It will get new stadium facilities and the district’s fourth rubberized track. The school recently received an updated field house.
Final costs for both projects have not been determined.
