Commercial Development News - Appraisal Development International

Former Pier aquarium to begin construction in Madiera Beach
By Staff report
Tampa Tribune
Published: Apr 23, 2013

The fate of The Pier in downtown St. Petersburg may be in limbo, but plans for its former aquarium are swimming along.

The aquarium, known mostly for its kitschy "fresh fish theaterâ€ on the Pier's second floor, is about to blossom into a 13,500-square-foot high-tech marine research center at John's Pass Village in Madeira Beach.

The Secrets of the Sea Marine Exporation Center and Aquarium announced that it has finalized funding through public-private partnerships. Included is a Pinellas County-based partnership with local hotel properties.

Details were to come at a news conference Tuesday morning.

A "wall-breakingâ€ will officially kick off construction of the aquarium, which will serve as an anchor attraction for John's Pass Village beginning in November.

According to organizers, the facility will have more than five times the space it has at The Pier, which is slated to close next month.

St. Petersburg announced plans in August 2010 to tear replace the upside-down pyramid Pier building. Plans were later announced to replace it with a structure called The Lens, although the $50 million project has been the subject of a protest by a group that wants the proposal placed on a public referendum.

When the aquarium's plans were announced in April 2011, organizers said it will include four major exhibits: Science on a Sphere, Planet Water, Ocean Today and Climate Change. There also will be larger live exhibits and an expanded touch tank.

Organizers project the center will attract 250,000 visitors and 40,000 students annually and generate an estimated $8 million in economic impact for the area.

The aquarium has partnered with the St. Petersburg Ocean Team, a marine research consortium.