Monroe County commissioners have approved a $2 million allocation for the Discovery Center & Aquarium now under construction at John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park in Key Largo.
The contribution is the largest single capital-project gift in the 33-year history of the Florida State Parks Foundation, according to the foundation. The overall facility is expected to cost $52 million and is scheduled to open in 2028.
The Florida State Parks Foundation and Friends of John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park, the park’s official citizen support organization, are running a capital campaign for the project’s interpretive and educational features.
Plans call for more than 23,000 gallons of aquarium space focused on native marine wildlife and ecosystems, along with interactive exhibits and displays intended to connect visitors with Florida’s coral reef. The reef is described as the only living reef formation along North America’s coast.
The facility will also support work by Mote Marine Laboratory, whose scientists have restored more than 200,000 corals to Florida’s reef and will continue work in and around the park.
Created in the 1950s, John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park receives about 400,000 visitors a year. The Key Largo park is known for scuba diving, snorkeling, saltwater fishing, swimming and paddling, alongside its coral-reef conservation role.
