Mote: 'Dead in the water'

On Monday, Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium CEO Michael Crosby stood before the City Commission and asked it to endorse his organization’s plan for growth.

As the clock approached midnight, he finally got his answer, via a 3-2 vote: No. At least, not now.
For Mote, Crosby said, “not now” was as good as a no.

“Mote doesn’t have the luxury of being able to put the growth we have right now on hold,” Crosby said. “We’re going to have to re-examine how we can grow in a way that the city is agreeable to.”

After publicly declaring the intent to expand Mote — including a new bayfront aquarium on city-owned land near the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall — Crosby has been attempting to gather public support in advance of Monday’s commission meeting.

Mote has emphasized the importance of growing its research arm at its current City Island campus, but that vision also includes using up to five of the 42 city-owned acres of land surrounding the Van Wezel to construct the new aquarium. Crosby explained that his intent was to secure an endorsement that would allow Mote officials to raise funds for the organization’s plan, including the beginning of design and engineering work for the aquarium.

Crosby said this first step needed to be taken before any other details could be determined.

“Mote (is) at a point now where we need to make some decisions, quite frankly, about whether we go forward with this path and invest more time and more energy into it,” Crosby said.

Public comment was divided. Several speakers representing other bayfront stakeholders said the city should wait for results of the Sarasota Bayfront 20:20 visioning process that’s in progress. Sarasota Bayfront 20:20 is a coalition of 15 local organizations working on a master plan and visioning process for the entire 42 acres of city-owned land.

Mote earned endorsements for its plan from the Economic Development Corp. of Sarasota County, the Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce, the town of Longboat Key and the Arts and Cultural Alliance of Sarasota County.

Vice Mayor Susan Chapman and Commissioner Shannon Snyder both worried that an endorsement of the vision was too significant a step at this point and said the city could be locked into a plan that has indeterminate public support.

“When we do this letter, we are creating an expectation, and that expectation will then be used for fundraising,” Chapman said. “Once the funds are in the bank, they’ll say, ‘Oh, but we raised funds based on our expectation.’”

Commissioners Paul Caragiulo and Suzanne Atwell cast dissenting votes. Atwell said she supported the idea of eventually putting an aquarium on the bayfront and wanted to avoid alienating Mote. Still, she said she regretted that the item came before the commission ahead of the Bayfront 20:20 schedule because she feared the discussion could lead to conflict.

“Sometimes it’s hard to start the puzzle and put a piece in that will start the ball rolling,” Atwell said. “My biggest fear — and I think this is happening right now — is that we’re getting divisive right now.”

The commission unanimously passed another motion encouraging Mote to continue to pursue a bayfront site through the Bayfront 20:20 process, but Crosby suggested that window is closed.

“By then, it’s too late,” Crosby said. “That’s the point (of coming forward now).”

Even if Bayfront 20:20 offered a full endorsement of a bayfront aquarium in January, when the group is scheduled to present its findings to the City Commission, Crosby said Mote needed to get into next year’s budget preparation process now. The organization is growing at a rate that will not allow it to wait much longer to expand, he said.

Mote will re-evaluate its options in the coming weeks, Crosby said, but the possibility of a bayfront aquarium near the Van Wezel may no longer be a viable path.

“We’re pretty much dead in the water when it comes to moving forward with that vision,” Crosby said.

Feedback LOOP
As the split vote might indicate, the City Commission’s decision not to endorse Mote’s plans for growth sparked a lively debate on The Observer’s Facebook page. Here are some of your thoughts on the topic:

Tom Trevor: A very good decision. It is easy for Mote to claim support since they have the structure to get their patrons to support them, but if this is using taxpayer money or public land, then a lot more thought has to go into this.

Keffie Kristine Lancaster: As usual they stopped the growth and expansion of our city. ... I think this was a fabulous idea and would add a “destination” to our bayfront.

Bob Gorevan: The fact that the city is considering future plans for this property is progressive. Mote is not the only game in town and not the answer to all our needs.

Erin Zolner: Things have changed since 2006! We need a daytime draw for tourists and families alike. An awesome waterfront aquarium would be a perfect addition to the project. ... Opera, theaters, lawn bowling ... all great evening, adult venues.