A new Mote aquarium is rising in Florida. Here’s the latest on an opening date
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Construction delays and habitat prep push Mote SEA's opening past early 2025.
- Animal acclimation is a key hurdle before launch.
- New Mote SEA will offer marine education to 70,000 students and 700,000 visitors.
For two years, Mote Marine has been building a new Science Education Aquarium near a mall off Interstate 75 in Southwest Florida.
Originally projected to open in early 2025, Hurricane Helene and Milton delayed the $130 million complex. An exact opening date hasn’t been announced.
Beyond the storms, why the uncertainty? Two reasons: getting the water chemistry in the new aquarium correct and getting the animals quarantined, transferred and acclimated to their new home, Mote Marine explains.
MORE: A 3-story aquarium is rising along a Florida highway. What’s going inside? Take a look
General admission at Mote SEA won’t open until the habitats prep is complete and the animals are acclimated.
“The health, safety and welfare of all animals under Mote’s care is the top priority,” Mote said in a statement.
Each animal will undergo a quarantine protocol, then a transfer to Mote SEA where they are “monitored for veterinary acclimation signals,” the statement said.
Mote Marine leaders have described the new aquarium, which will hold over 1 million gallons of water and provide hands-on learning opportunities for nearly 70,000 Manatee and Sarasota students, as a resource for marine science education “unlike any other experience in the country.”
“Most aquariums are really focused on bringing the animals to life, but we’re really going to bring that education to life here too,” Aly Busse, Mote Education’s associate vice president, told the Bradenton Herald during a behind-the-scenes tour in April 2024.
In its first year, the 110,000-square-foot, three-story Mote SEA facility is expected to attract more than 700,000 visitors, the Bradenton Herald has reported. That’s more than double the annual attendance at the City Island location.
Since 1980, Mote Marine’s aquarium was open to the public on Sarasota’s City Island. The last day for admission was Juky 6, but the City Island location will remain open for research, conservation and education programs, according to Mote.
Mote Marine began as a marine research laboratory in 1955. Researchers with Mote Marine have been featured on the Discovery Channel’s Shark Week.
When Mote SEA’s grand opening is announced, admission tickets will go on sale. Parking will be free to Mote SEA visitors, and there is a Sarasota County bus station next to the main parking lot.
This story was originally published July 14, 2025 at 2:29 PM.
