What is often overlooked in the grand scheme of things, like it or not the FHSAA has to operate as a business. Without having access to the books and looking in from afar the football championship weekend does not look like a highly profitable weekend in its current form and location.
This year the entire state could watch the games due to Bally's signing a rights deal, we have no idea how much money was exchanged. Bally's parent company is having deep financial issues and I doubt the contract was a huge payout to the FHSAA. In some respects it may have been a way to appease those Floridians that are not serviced by Spectrum or wanted to pay by the game. It did give Bally's three full days of programming for that day and replays to fill other schedule voids.
Looking in from afar, I didn't see large numbers of people in the stands, you have very limited revenue when the teams involved are so far from the game site. This in some respect it ties into the tv deal, how many south Floridians are going to travel all the way to FAMU when they can stay home and watch it on Ballys. The stands often looked like a family and friends crowd. I know some schools set up charter busses for students, that is a cost that has to be paid somehow.
Here is where the money comes in, there are a lot of costs per team involved with transportation / lodging being the main one. You not only have the expenses of 18 teams but you have the expenses for nine sets of game officials, Lowering the number from nine games to seven may be enough to make the balance sheet look much better.
As a long term solution I have to wonder if the FHSAA has ever considered creating its own site to own and operate somewhere in the Gainesville area. They could contest many high school tournaments at such a site, rent it out for other events. They could build a 10-12,000 seat stadium . As a comparison the stadium where the finals where held in Ft. Lauderdale was 19,000 seats and even with local teams playing the stadium did not sell out. As a comparison Traz Powell in Miami holds 10,000 and it would be aboutthe right size. From what I have read they are having a difficult time finding sites to bid on hosting the event, your own facility eliminates those issues and the FSHAA has control of the event.