Waves of Excitement for Mote SEA

By Ryan G. Van Cleave | February 2022

It’s been just over a year since ground was broken for the new Mote Science Education Aquarium (Mote SEA) at Nathan Benderson Park, but the interest and excitement continues to grow. Some of that is financial, and with good reason—Mote SEA is providing an economic impact of $280 million from construction alone, and then almost $30 million annually to the region and the state of Florida. What people are most excited about, however, is the anticipated community impact in terms of culture and education. To make that happen, though, requires a state-of-the-art building that’s coming with the price tag of $130 million—the biggest fundraising campaign our area has ever seen.

Michael Moore, Special Advisor to Mote’s Office of the President, says that potential donors and others who learn about the project are surprised by how complex it is. “We’ve got big marine exhibits on all three levels, and some of those are two-story exhibits,” he explains. “There’s an incredible amount of complicated engineering needed to keep all the water where it’s supposed to stay.” 

One of the best things about Mote SEA is that unlike so many other aquariums throughout the world, there’s no need to house all its functions. Since this new building is part of the Mote family, things such as administration, business, and fundraising offices already exist elsewhere in one of the six Mote campuses. That means more Mote SEA space can be dedicated to exhibits and education facilities versus support systems. It’s a big space—just shy of 13 acres, with 110,000 square feet in the building itself—but that doesn’t mean there’s room for waste!

At the heart of this new building is the Oceans for All: Improving Access to Marine Science & Technology campaign. The idea is this: it’s only through exposure, education, and meaningful hands-on experiences that people can truly understand and appreciate marine science. In Sarasota and Manatee Counties, there are 25 Title One schools—because of the challenges these schools, their students, and their families face, the majority of the 24,000 kids who attend those schools don’t always have the opportunity to receive top-level science education. So, Dr. Michael P. Crosby—Mote’s President & CEO—decided that every Title One student would get a day pass for their entire family for Mote each year. That’s part of what Oceans for All is about—truly making marine science education available to all.

With three STEM teaching labs and four Workforce Development Labs in Mote SEA, the plan is to have 70,000 local students a year participate in on-site education there or engage with Mote through remote learning. “Our educational folks are designing courses that have classroom work they can do at their school,” Moore says, “then they can come to one of the STEM teaching labs where they can experience what only a few of the private schools in this area have access to. We want that type of exposure for those who don’t have it available at their school campuses.”

One of the perks of Mote SEA is that it’ll free up so much space at the current Mote aquarium site on City Island. All of the existing exhibit tanks and public areas will be repurposed for marine research pursuits, which have always been going on there and will continue even more so in the future. There’s also a wonderful synergy planned between Mote SEA and Mote’s research efforts. For example, one of the most exciting projects by Mote scientists is how they’re bringing back coral in the waters around Florida through microfragmenting and outplanting. To date, Mote scientists have planted 100,000+ corals of multiple native species, and more than 325 genotypes to restore damaged or depleted reefs. Once the Gulf of Mexico tank is operable in Mote SEA, Combat Wounded Veteran Challenge divers working in the coral restoration project will train right inside that 300,000-gallon tank.

Of course, Mote has lots of local partners, both in terms of donations but also through construction efforts. “Florida Power and Light has been a great partner,” says Moore. “We’re also in discussion with numerous companies now about naming rights to exhibits or even the entire building, just like they do with sports arenas or university buildings.” Other partners of note include Crisdel Group Construction, Willis Smith Construction, and Ajax Paving, which not only is providing in-kind donations with their supplies, but their owners, the Horan family, offered a six-figure gift out of their family foundation to support the project. 

With a planned completion in mid-2024, the excitement for Mote SEA continues to grow, as does the funding. Currently, there’s at $90 million of the $130 million goal. To get a sense of how much eagerness there is for this project; Moore notes that almost 85% of the current gifts came from new donors. “This is a very heavy lift,” Moore says, “and we’re reaching beyond just the Sarasota/Manatee region because we’re not just a local organization. We’re regional, national, and international in scope, so this is a complex campaign, but we’re well on our way and feel we’re going to be ready to go by the time we start getting vertical with the building.”

Mote SEA is a legacy project for Mote, but also for the entire region. Situated where it’s at in a nexus spot for Sarasota and Manatee counties next to UTC mall, it’s going to be a destination spot and WOW-level landmark for generations to come. 

For more information on Mote SEA or the Oceans for All campaign, please visit www.moteoceansforall.org.