The new Mote Science Education Aquarium (SEA) will open to the public on Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2025—a $130 million undertaking that represents both the largest expansion in Mote Marine Laboratory’s 70-year history and a shift in how Sarasota presents itself to the wider world.

The new aquarium is located beside Nathan Benderson Park and visible to the steady stream of cars along Interstate 75. At 146,000 square feet, it is twice the size of the nonprofit’s former public aquarium on City Island, which closed July 6 after nearly 50 years of welcoming visitors. Early previews are scheduled for Mote members on Oct. 6 and 7.

Plans for the move began in 2018, when Mote first announced its intention to relocate the aquarium to a site that would give it higher visibility and greater educational reach. The transition was not without obstacles. The destructive hurricane season of 2024—when Hurricanes Helene and Milton flooded and hammered Sarasota—delayed construction by nearly a year, forcing the cancellation of an anticipated late-2024 opening. The logistical challenges of moving the aquarium’s residents were equally formidable. Each animal, from penguins and river otters to sea turtles, manatees, sharks, plus a giant Pacific octopus, had to undergo quarantine, lasting anywhere from 30 to 90 days depending on species. Many were housed at the Mote Aquaculture Research Park east of the city. Meanwhile, aquarists filled tanks at the new facility with saltwater, monitored microbial activity and adjusted water chemistry to replicate natural habitats. Only then could the carefully orchestrated transfer begin.

Inside the new aquarium, a 400,000-gallon Gulf of Mexico habitat anchors the galleries, while new homes have been created. It will house a wide range of marine life, from manatees in a dedicated large-scale habitat to penguins, river otters, and sea turtles relocated from the former City Island facility. Visitors will encounter more than a dozen sharks and schools of Gulf fish along with jellyfish, seahorses, crabs and other smaller-scale creatures.

Beyond the exhibits, the building includes a dining area operated by Deep Blue Hospitality, offering both quick-service and sit-down options with an emphasis on sustainable, coastal-inspired food. It also incorporates flexible event spaces designed to host gatherings, celebrations and special programs.

There are three interactive classrooms dedicated to K–12 students, offered free of charge to Sarasota and Manatee county schools, and four training laboratories focused on aquaculture, coral restoration, conservation and veterinary diagnostics. In 2024, more than 50,000 students took part in Mote programs on City Island; that number is expected to rise sharply in the new building. The economic impact is projected at $28 million annually, but the institution frames its goal more broadly: to act as a regional hub for marine science education and engagement.

Although the public aquarium has departed, City Island still remains central to Mote’s identity. The 10.5-acre bayfront complex, closed now to casual visitors, is being redeveloped into a 100,000-square-foot research campus. The plan includes 60,000 square feet of new laboratories and facilities, expanding the institution’s ability to conduct doctoral-level and applied research. In Mote’s long-term vision, the site is to become a hub of marine science and technology in Southwest Florida.

The opening also falls on a milestone year: the seventieth anniversary of Mote Marine Laboratory, an institution that owes its existence to a Tampa-born businessman with an unlikely path. William Russell Mote, who made his fortune in New York in transportation logistics, returned to Florida in the 1960s intent on supporting marine research. He helped rescue a struggling laboratory founded by shark researcher Dr. Eugenie Clark (a.k.a. the “Shark Lady”), endowed it with millions of dollars, and in 1967 saw it renamed for himself, his wife Lenore and his sister Elizabeth. Over the years, his philanthropy helped establish shark research programs, aquaculture initiatives, and innovative breeding projects such as the release of tens of thousands of snook into Sarasota Bay. When he died in 2003 at age 93, Mote had given at least $8 million to the laboratory and cemented its reputation as one of the Gulf Coast’s most prominent scientific institutions.

Today, Mote Marine Laboratory spans nine campuses, with the new aquarium serving as its public face. When the first visitors file in, the tanks and galleries will be filled not just with sharks and manatees but with 70 years of history and the promise of what the next 70 might bring.

Mote Science Education Aquarium (SEA) will open to the public on Wednesday, Oct. 8. To attend an exclusive grand opening event, or to reserve tickets for general admission after opening, click here.