- December 24, 2025
-
-
Loading
Loading
Ten years ago, Jennifer Rominiecki was a top-ranking official with the New York Botanical Garden who had never been to the Gulf Coast of Florida, much less Sarasota.
She had known about Marie Selby Botanical Gardens by its reputation, though, renowned for having the largest scientifically documented collections of orchids and bromeliads. But until she was contacted by an executive recruiter the thought of visiting, much less moving here, had never crossed her mind.
“I kind of had my head down, working away, and I was approached about this opportunity to be the president and CEO of Marie Selby Botanical Gardens,” Rominiecki said. “I’d had no intention of relocating. I accepted the interview, came in person to Sarasota and when I got here, all I really saw was the opportunity and the potential of what this place could be.”
Potential, she described it, because at the time, though Selby Gardens was certainly worth the visit for botanical enthusiasts, there was little reason for a repeat visit. But there it was, on 15 prime acres on the shores of Sarasota Bay, pleading for purpose beyond a repository for unique collections of plant life.
"It had the most magnificent living collections. The location was incredible, and I knew that the talent was here, but there were two big things missing,” she said. “One was the idea of having a sustainable operational model to generate sustainable revenues for the institution, and two was the proper infrastructure necessary to safeguard the scientific collections.”
When she reported for duty in February 2015, Rominiecki brought with her the concept of a living museum, one that changes exhibitions and brings programs and events to garner repeat visitors. It was that shift in the operations model that set the stage for discussions that would become the new master plan for the downtown Sarasota campus.
As she spoke to the large crowd of supporters who gathered for the Dec. 2 groundbreaking ceremony for the second phase of the three-phase plan, she could see the results of her efforts in the faces of donors and members.
Since 2015, “Our membership more than tripled,” Rominiecki told the Observer. “We now have 24,000 member households and we have more than 300,000 visitors annually. I attribute all that growth to the living museum model.”
That growth in popularity has translated into financial support. The capital campaign for Phase 2 has surpassed $56.3 million of the $60.9 million goal for 92% of the cost. Combined, $121 million has been raised to fund both phases 1 and 2 plus an endowment, 99% of the total from private philanthropy.
A decade before Rominiecki's arrival, Jerry Sparkman, now a partner with Sweet Sparkman Architecture & Interiors, paid a visit to Sarasota with renowned architect Frank Folsom Smith. As he showed Sparkman around Sarasota, Smith asked him about his wife’s interests.
Horticulture, Sparkman said, was the answer.
“He takes the bend on Mound Street, whips down Palm Avenue right where you are sitting and takes me down to this old entry space behind that sign,” said Sparkman during the Dec. 2 groundbreaking.
Calling what he saw Selby Gardens at the time a “magical place,” he recalled Smith saying, “This is a place of inspiration. You should share it with her.”
“So fast forward,” Sparkman said, “we've been coming here for 25 years, religiously. Our family comes. It's an extension of our home. It's very important to us. Needless to say, it's been a place that we claim as our own.”
Sweet Sparkman was the local architect assisting in the design of Phase 1 and is the lead architect of Phase 2.
Resilience is the prime objective of the second phase. Highlights include:
The centerpiece of Phase 2 is the Conservatory Complex, which will broaden public access to Selby Gardens’ collection from about 5% today to nearly its entirety.
Most importantly, it will accomplish the objective of protecting Selby Gardens’ irreplaceable collections.
“If we hadn't moved ahead (with Phase 1) when we did, amid the storms last year all of our preserved collections might have been completely destroyed if we hadn't been able to safeguard them in our new Plant Research Center,” Rominiecki said. “We opened in January 2024, and in September and October of 2024 we were tested, and Phase 1 did exactly what it was supposed to do. Now we're turning our focus toward finishing what we started, especially with Phase 2, which focuses on safeguarding the living collection."
That work is scheduled for completion in 2028.
