Mote makes public push for bayfront aquarium

Next month, Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium leaders will appear before the Sarasota City Commission, requesting a commitment to a vision that includes a new aquarium on five acres of city-owned bayfront land.

In the meantime, those leaders are looking to coalesce community support behind that vision. Today, Mote President and CEO Michael Crosby spoke at an Argus Foundation meeting, outlining the organization’s vision for the future.

As part of its 2020 strategic plan, Mote has been working on expansion since 2010. In particular, the organization has focused on growing its research facilities and operations. In order to facilitate that growth, Mote is interested in devoting its City Island campus almost entirely to the laboratory — and thus, in relocating its aquarium operations.

Following years of research and multiple feasibility studies, Mote concluded that the optimal location for a new aquarium would be at what is currently the Van Wezel parking lot. The vast majority of that research and planning was done privately, with early details of Mote’s interest in a bayfront location leaking through a separate, broader development proposal.

Now, however, Mote is publically campaigning for its proposal and distancing itself from others. At today’s meeting, Crosby emphasized the relationship between Mote and the community and stressed that no other group could speak to the organization’s plans for the future. When it came to making the proposed bayfront aquarium a reality, Crosby said the decision was in the hands of the citizens.

“That is a decision for the community to make,” Crosby said. “Mote doesn't need someone to represent us to our own community.”

Crosby revealed some additional details about the potential scope of the proposed aquarium. He said Mote would seek a five-acre site from the city, and that consultants recommended a facility in the range of 70,000 to 90,000 square feet.

In addition to speaking at the Argus Foundation, Crosby said Mote has gotten an endorsement for its vision from the Economic Development Corporation of Sarasota County, the Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce and the Arts and Cultural Alliance of Sarasota County.

When he appears before the City Commission, Crosby said he hopes to have gathered an even broader base of support for Mote’s plans for expansion.

“This isn't about Mote,” Crosby said. “This is about the community. We need you to be with us, all together, to present this to our leadership here in this city.”

Contact David Conway at [email protected].