No timeline for opening announced yet
Mote Marine Laboratory staff finally is preparing to move into the new Mote Science Education Aquarium (SEA) between Nathan Benderson Park and the Mall at University Town Center, Kevin Cooper, vice president of the nonprofit organization has announced.
“July 6th will be the final day that the current Mote Aquarium on City Island will be ticketed and available for general public admission,” Cooper wrote in a Mote report.
On July 7, “all operations at Mote Aquarium on City Island will transition to dedicated preparation and support for the opening of Mote SEA. It’s important to note that no Mote Aquarium staff will be furloughed due to this transition,” Cooper added.
“Mote’s long-standing plan in preparation for the new facility has included a period of time where operations at Mote Aquarium on City Island would transition to focus efforts on animal quarantine and transfer, as well as staff and volunteer training for Mote SEA operations,” He explained.
“Ceasing public operations of Mote Aquarium on City Island” immediately after the July Fourth weekend “will allow Mote SEA to open as soon as possible,” he continued.
Two primary factors “will determine the opening date,” he added.
“The first is Mote SEA exhibits’ water chemistry and critical life support microbial dynamics,” Cooper pointed out. (The Sustainability Directory explains, “Microbial Ecosystem Dynamics, at its most basic, describes the constantly shifting relationships and interactions within communities of microorganisms and their surrounding environment.)
“A majority of the themed habitats at Mote SEA include ‘shotcrete’ and paint,” Cooper continued. (The American Concrete Institute explains that shotcrete “ is a method of applying concrete projected at high velocity primarily on to a vertical or overhead surface. The impact created by the application consolidates the concrete. Although the hardened properties of shotcrete are similar to those of conventional cast-in-place concrete, the nature of the placement process results in an excellent bond with most substrates, and rapid or instant capabilities, particularly on complex forms or shapes. The shotcrete process requires less formwork and can be more economical than conventionally placed concrete.”)
Cooper stressed, “It’s critically important that those [animal] habitats are removed of all soluble components, which is done through a process known as leaching. This process can vary in the time that it takes to complete. While Mote’s expert staff are monitoring the leaching process daily, part of this exercise is simply waiting for the water chemistry to stabilize,” he noted.
The second major issue involves “animal quarantine, transfer and acclimation,” Cooper added. “The health, safety and welfare of all animals under Mote’s care is the top priority. Mote is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums and follows animal transfer protocols adopted as best practices across peer institutions.”
He further explained, “Following a quarantine protocol for each animal and upon subsequent transfer to Mote SEA, all newly resident animals will be closely monitored” for signs that they have acclimated to their new environments. Until they have done so,” he pointed out, “Mote SEA will not open for general admission.”
Cooper then added, “For 45 years, Mote Aquarium has provided a unique, informal marine science education experience for guests from around the world. That would not have been possible without tremendous support from the community, donors, staff, trustees, volunteers, and of course, Mote’s incredible guests. This major transition period is an extremely exciting milestone along the pathway to a grand opening for Mote SEA, where Mote will continue to open a window into the globally significant marine science research conducted at Mote Marine Laboratory.”
Material on Mote’s website says that the aquarium will have three galleries, each on a separate level: Florida’s Gulf Coast Gallery, with native marine life found in the state; the Pacific Waters Gallery, which will feature the nonprofit’s penguins, among other “playful and captivating residents”; and the Florida Waters Gallery, which will showcase “our beloved airbreathing animals, including manatees, otters, and turtles.”
In planning for the Mote SEA, Michael Crosby, Mote’s CEO, said several years ago that the new aquarium would cost about $130 million. The Sarasota County Commission agreed to dedicate $20 million out of its annual “bed tax” revenue to assist with the project.
During discissions about the contribution, the late Commissioner Nancy Detert of Venice made it clear that she envisioned the aquarium as a future, major tourist attraction.
In early 2019, when the commissioners approved what staff characterized as an “omnibus agreement” with Mote, which included a lease of the 11.45-acre site next to Benderson Park for $100 a year — until Mote could purchase the property — Detert told those attending the commission meeting, “I feel [the aquarium is] going to be so startlingly impressive that we’ll probably have to put a scenic overlook on I-75, because people are going to say, ‘What is that?’ and want to pull over.”
She also commented on Jan. 30, 2019 about what she called the “huge ‘wow’ factor from the minute [Mote] rolled [out the Science Education Aquarium proposal].”
The records maintained by Sarasota County Property Appraiser Bill Furst show that Mote did purchase the site next to Benderson Park on July 12, 2022. The organization paid $100 for it, as provided for in that 2019 omnibus agreement.