Florida Aquarium to embark on a $40M expansion

The Florida Aquarium will undergo a $40 million expansion – marking the first major project the Tampa attraction will pursue since its opening in 1995.

The project, which has three phases, includes introducing an outdoor sea lion habitat (a first for the west coast of Florida) and the addition of a rotating special exhibit gallery, converting the second-floor lobby into to multi-species gallery that features puffins.

A large African penguin habitat will also be part of the outdoor expansion, the aquarium announced Tuesday. 

A rendering of the underwater viewing area for the sea lions.  

“When I started my role at The Florida Aquarium [in 2017], I wanted to make sure we would evolve the aquarium to be a world-class destination that Tampa Bay deserves and is proud of,” Florida Aquarium CEO Roger Germann told the St. Pete Catalyst. “This $40 million expansion will not only elevate the aquarium; it will truly elevate the region from an educational and economic impact standpoint. In the past several years, we’ve seen tremendous growth in attendance and financially, we are in the best shape to pull everything together.”

Another rendering of Rocky Shores, the new sea lion exhibit coming to The Florida Aquarium. 

A deep dive of the phases, as described by aquarium management:

• Phase I of the project, scheduled for completion in 2023, will transform the existing ballroom space in the Mosaic Center into a 3,700-square-foot flexible and dynamic special exhibit hall.
• Phase II, scheduled for 2024, will bring a two-level puffin habitat complete with a kelp forest, Atlantic salmon and other larger fish species. Multiple large viewing windows will allow guests to see the numerous nesting sites and of the 45,000-gallon habitat for birds.
• Phase III, the “most ambitious phase,” will be completed in 2025. Three separate but interconnected sea lion spaces, which collectively include over 200,000 gallons, will include both a large main habitat and animal encounter habitat, as well as a presentation space including underwater viewing and overlook seating. The outdoor plaza will include a 39,500-gallon African penguin habitat which will allow for optimal welfare to a colony of up to 30 penguins. There will also be a bubble viewing window and a park-like atmosphere for the plaza. 

A rendering of the African penguin exhibit. 

Germann said a year ago, he and his team started to have serious discussions with Space Haus, an esteemed architectural design firm known for its expertise in the zoo and aquarium industry, about brainstorming the plan to dramatically redefine the aquarium. 

Space Haus has served a high level of clients including The Shedd Aquarium in Chicago, where Germann previously served as executive vice president, the National Aquarium of New Zealand, and the Dallas and Kansas City Zoos.

A rendering of the Rugged Coast puffin exhibit.  

Germann explained how there were multiple factors in considering what new exhibits to bring from speaking with guests and team members during the planning period.

“We know people are willing to act on behalf of things and animals they care about in our environment. Sea lions are a very charismatic animal, people connect with them, and the biggest challenge they face is having food sources, which is the same issue for manatees,” Germann said. 

The aquarium has already kicked off its fundraising campaign for the massive undertaking. 

“We are going to put our aquarium dollars into this. With the public and private commitments we have to date, we are very confident this project will be on time and budget,” Germann said. 

The expansion is also expected to raise the annual attendance baseline, roughly 800,000 to 850,000, to one million annual visitors. 

As the attendance increases and the new exhibits come online, Germann said that the aquarium will increase its number of employees and volunteers.