The Florida State Parks Foundation recently celebrated Coral Reef Awareness Week by announcing a major donation toward the new, state-of-the-art Discovery Center and Aquarium at John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park in Key Largo.
The Richard King Mellon Foundation, a Pittsburgh-based organization with nearly 80 years of support for America’s environmental heritage, has committed $250,000 toward educational and interpretive experiences within the park’s new facility.
The Florida State Parks Foundation, the Florida Park Service and a wide variety of community partners broke ground on the Discovery Center and Aquarium in April. The $52 million complex is expected to open with a ribbon-cutting ceremony in 2028.
“John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park is home to one of Florida’s rarest, most unique and most precious natural resources — our amazing coral reef,” said Julia Gill Woodward, CEO of the parks foundation. “This transformational contribution from the Richard King Mellon Foundation will help ensure that park visitors will enjoy fresh, cutting-edge experiences that create lasting memories and meaningful connections with this incredible ecosystem.”
John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park each year welcomes more than 400,000 visitors who are drawn to the park’s world-class scuba diving, snorkeling, paddling and glass-bottom boat tours.
“We are excited that John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park will soon open a state-of-the-art Discovery Center and Aquarium where visitors will learn about the coral reefs that are so important to the balance of this delicate habitat,” said Chuck Hatcher, Florida state parks director. “The Florida State Parks Foundation has done an outstanding job in partnering with the Richard King Mellon Foundation, and we are thankful for their generous donation as we work toward our shared goals of coral reef preservation and restoration.”
The park’s new Discovery Center and Aquarium will serve as a hub for hands-on environmental education and coral reef restoration. Seven aquarium tanks holding a total of 43,000 gallons of water will serve as the centerpiece, and additional planned interpretive elements include coral reef exploration displays, a storm simulator to highlight coral reefs’ role in protecting Florida’s coastline, a sensory wall, “creature features” to highlight the abundance of marine wildlife that depend on coral reefs, and a digital microscope.
The park has also partnered with the Mote Marine Laboratory to conduct coral restoration research and propagation activities within the Discovery Center and Aquarium. Scientists have already restored more than 200,000 corals to Florida’s reef, and corals grown in the park’s nurseries will be planted in and around the park’s nautical footprint.
