The Mote Marine Laboratory in Sarasota County, Florida, has released a status update of their proposed new aquarium project at Nathan Benderson Park. Work on the $130 million facility is set to begin by the end of September, this year. The announcement was made by Mote during a news conference, that took place at the site on which the facility will be built.
“A major goal of this project was to create an iconic structure here at this nexus location between two great counties, Sarasota and Manatee,” said Mote President and CEO Dr Michael P. Crosby. “Over 43 million vehicles a year drive right past this site and will see this iconic building.”
Mote also announced that they were over halfway towards their financial target of $130 million, having raised $75 million as of now. $20 million of this was committed to the project by Sarasota County commissioners, and a further $5 million from Manatee County to be used on operational and outreach costs.
The conference was attended by State Representative James Buchanan, Sarasota County Commissioner Michael Moran, Manatee County Commissioner Misty Servia and Manatee County Supervisor of Elections Michael Bennett.
“Isn’t it fitting that we are here at the finish tower at Nathan Benderson Park to celebrate progress on another regional project that brings Manatee and Sarasota counties together for the betterment of our region?” said Misty Servia. “Projects like Mote SEA remind me that we are connected in so many more ways than simply sharing a border — we’re connected by economies, education, tourism and of course our waterways.”
New renderings of the aquarium were also unveiled at the conference, showing plans for a site that is almost double the size of Mote’s current location, at 110,000 square feet. Almost a million gallons of animal habitat will feature species from oceans around the world. The new site will also be the home of three interactive STEM teaching laboratories, which will be available for usage by K-12 students in Sarasota and Manatee counties, free of charge. Each laboratory is said to cost around $7 million.
The plan for Mote’s current City Island campus is to transform it into an International Marine Science, Technology, and Innovation Park.
