ANNA MARIA – No decision has been made, but Mote Marine has emerged as the leading candidate to occupy the vacant building on the Anna Maria City Pier.
Representatives from the Sarasota-based Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium presented their proposal for the City Pier Marine Educational Outreach Center during a special city commission meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 10. The meeting took place inside the vacant city-owned pier building adjacent to the smaller pier building leased to the City Pier Grill & Bait Shop operators.
The purpose of the nonvoting meeting was to present and receive public input on the potential uses for the 1,800-square-foot space constructed as part of the pier replacement project completed in 2020. Other potential uses include a full-service restaurant, a retail store, a special events venue, or a combination of those.
Murphy said the intent was to narrow down the possibilities to the best one or two options. He noted the $6.8 million pier is debt-free and has already been paid for using federal, state, county and city funds.
Mote Marine proposal
The Mote Marine presenters included President and CEO Dr. Michael Crosby, Assistant Vice President of the Aquarium Evan Barniskas and Assistant Vice President of Education Aly Busse.
Speaking first, Crosby commended the city for doing an incredible job on the new pier. He noted the presence of a City Pier in that location for more than 100 years has created a strong link with the Anna Maria community and the surrounding waters.
Crosby described Mote Marine as a 66-year-old homegrown institution that’s known worldwide for its innovative and cutting-edge research, but less known for its innovative education, community outreach and community engagement activities.
“These waters are the business of Mote Marine Laboratory. What better venue could we possibly have for translating and transferring the science that we do at Mote to the public-at-large? This is an incredible opportunity to partner with this community to do some things we hope are going to add to the overall ocean literacy amongst the public but will also be a great attraction for visitors, as well as a place of pride for the local community,” Crosby said.
“In a nutshell, this is what we are looking for – a partnership to create a marine education and outreach center right here that I think would pair so nicely with the wonderful business that smells so good right next door,” he added.
Barniskas spoke about the aquarium-style exhibits and his presentation included a rendering of a proposed facility that includes live exhibits that allow visitors to interact with live marine life.
The live exhibits would also focus on local sportfishing: “They can come in here and see the fish they were hoping to catch: Grunts, snappers, groupers and all that type of stuff. We’re also going to have a grass flats exhibit that’s going to show the smaller fish, the smaller invertebrates, crabs and that type of stuff. We’ll also have a schooling fish exhibit,” Barniskas said.
He also mentioned a sport fish identification exhibit, a “sounds of the sea” exhibit, microscopes, and interpretive graphics that explain the local sea life and their importance to the surrounding environment.
“When the visitors come to this center and touch an animal they’ve never touched before, they’ll take that memory with them the rest of their lives,” Barniskas said.
Busse said the education programs would take place inside and outside of the facility.
“At Mote, we pride ourselves on our ‘K to Gray’ education programming,” she said about programs geared for toddlers through senior citizens.
She mentioned guided nature tours, an exploration backpack program, fishing workshops and science projects. She also mentioned excursions on the water that allow people to interact with marine life in the natural environment. Crosby said Mote Marine’s research vessels would visit the pier.
Proposed budget
The Mote Marine presentation included a proposed budget for start-up and operating costs, and Crosby said he envisions the city taking the lead on securing the initial funds needed to create the facility.
The proposed budget includes $555,000 for the initial design and installation, with $500,000 to be raised by the city and $55,000 to be raised by Mote Marine and its philanthropic partners.
The budget proposes $444,000 in annual operating costs, including $303,212 for Mote Marine staff members. This city would be asked to pay an estimated $9,500 in annual utility bills.
The budget proposes Mote generating $66,000 in annual retail sales, $20,000 from education programs and $10,000 from donations, with Mote Marine contributing approximately $337,000 annually.
The proposal does not include monthly rent payments paid to the city.
“Once the funds are in fact secured, we’re pretty confident we can get this done in less than half a year,” Crosby said.
Other options and reactions
Murphy also addressed the other potential uses. He said a special events venue could be used for meetings, celebrations, expositions, art shows and more, but he didn’t envision it being used for weddings. He said the vacant space could accommodate a 61-seat full-service restaurant, but the limited seating allowance would require a more expensive liquor license.
Residents Shelia Fusé and Bob Carter expressed support for the Mote proposals, as did City Pier Grill operators Brian Seymour and Nick Graham, and Jim McDaniel, director of development for The Center of Anna Maria Island.
Commission Chair Carol Carter questioned the need for another full-service restaurant when others already exist near the pier. She also expressed concerns about “mega-events” being held in the special events venue after the COVID pandemic subsides.
The Mote Marine proposal garnered preliminary support from the five commissioners and commissioners Joe Muscatello and Jon Crane said they would support it if asked to vote that day, which they were not. These ongoing discussions will continue during another special meeting to be held inside the pier building at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 17.
