John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park in Key Largo is getting a significant boost for its upcoming Discovery Center and Aquarium, thanks to a $250,000 commitment from the Richard King Mellon Foundation, a Pittsburgh-based philanthropy with nearly 80 years of support for American environmental causes. The donation, announced during Coral Reef Awareness Week, will fund educational and interpretive experiences inside the new facility.
Ground was broken on the $52 million complex in April, and the finished building is expected to open with a ribbon-cutting in 2028. The centerpiece will be seven aquarium tanks holding a combined 43,000 gallons of water. Visitors will also encounter coral reef exploration displays, a storm simulator showing how reefs protect Florida's coastline, a sensory wall, marine wildlife features, and a digital microscope.
The park has partnered with Mote Marine Laboratory to carry out coral restoration research and propagation inside the new facility. Scientists working through the park's existing programs have already returned more than 200,000 corals to Florida's reef, and corals grown in on-site nurseries will continue to be planted throughout the park's nautical footprint.
America's first undersea park, John Pennekamp draws more than 400,000 visitors each year who come for its scuba diving, snorkeling, paddling, and glass-bottom boat tours. The new facility is intended to deepen those connections by giving guests hands-on ways to understand the reef ecosystem they're visiting.
The announcement was made by the Florida State Parks Foundation, the nonprofit partner of the Florida Park Service that has led fundraising efforts for the project since breaking ground this spring.
