A new Mote aquarium is rising in Florida. Here's the latest on an opening date
Originally projected to open in early 2025, Hurricane Helene and Milton delayed the $130 million complex. An exact opening date hasn't been announced.
Beyond the storms, why the uncertainty? Two reasons: getting the water chemistry in the new aquarium correct and getting the animals quarantined, transferred and acclimated to their new home, Mote Marine explains.
MORE: A 3-story aquarium is rising along a Florida highway. What's going inside? Take a look
General admission at Mote SEA won't open until the habitats prep is complete and the animals are acclimated.
'The health, safety and welfare of all animals under Mote's care is the top priority,' Mote said in a statement.
Each animal will undergo a quarantine protocol, then a transfer to Mote SEA where they are 'monitored for veterinary acclimation signals,' the statement said.
Mote Marine leaders have described the new aquarium, which will hold over 1 million gallons of water and provide hands-on learning opportunities for nearly 70,000 Manatee and Sarasota students, as a resource for marine science education 'unlike any other experience in the country.'
'Most aquariums are really focused on bringing the animals to life, but we're really going to bring that education to life here too,' Aly Busse, Mote Education's associate vice president, told the Bradenton Herald during a behind-the-scenes tour in April 2024.
In its first year, the 110,000-square-foot, three-story Mote SEA facility is expected to attract more than 700,000 visitors, the Bradenton Herald has reported. That's more than double the annual attendance at the City Island location.
Since 1980, Mote Marine's aquarium was open to the public on Sarasota's City Island. The last day for admission was Juky 6, but the City Island location will remain open for research, conservation and education programs, according to Mote.
Mote Marine began as a marine research laboratory in 1955. Researchers with Mote Marine have been featured on the Discovery Channel's Shark Week.
When Mote SEA's grand opening is announced, admission tickets will go on sale. Parking will be free to Mote SEA visitors, and there is a Sarasota County bus station next to the main parking lot.
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Washington Post
2 hours ago
- Washington Post
Here's what shark experts do to stay safe in the ocean
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The Hill
19 hours ago
- The Hill
Without weather forecasters, our canaries in the storm, expect disaster
Before modern forecasting, hurricanes were mass casualty events. The 1900 Galveston Hurricane killed over 8,000 people, wiping out an entire city with a 15-foot storm surge. Less than a century ago, Hurricane Okeechobee killed over 2,500 Floridians in a tragedy that today would be largely preventable. We've come a long way since the days when hurricanes struck without warning. I know, because I helped develop the systems that save countless lives and give communities time to prepare. That was my job until February, when I was terminated by President Trump and Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency alongside hundreds of other scientists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Since then, I have continued my work in hurricane forecasting through Cooperative Institute research; however, the cuts left deep holes across NOAA's forecasting teams that've not been filled. This purge isn't 'cutting waste' — it is dismantling America's hurricane monitoring systems. At the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, I worked on the next-generation Hurricane Analysis and Forecast System. This system enabled emergency managers to issue timely evacuation orders during life-threatening hurricanes like Helene and Milton, helping prevent thousands of potential fatalities. Yet even with cutting-edge forecasting, Helene revealed new, urgent challenges. In the last decade, freshwater flooding surpassed storm surge as the leading cause of hurricane-related deaths. Helene's victims were coastal residents and mountain communities, caught unprepared by catastrophic inland flooding. Dozens more died — victims of power outages, delayed medical care and collapsed infrastructure in the days after the storm passed. If our warning systems don't evolve to keep pace with rapidly changing storms, Helene's damage may seem merciful compared to future disasters. Precisely when adaptation is most urgent, political decisions have systematically dismantled our protective infrastructure. Key vacancies remain across NOAA's local forecast offices, satellite operations and modeling teams — many of which are already stretched thin this hurricane season. Without continuous investment in modeling and surveillance, hurricane season, which officially began June 1, will become even deadlier and harder to predict. DOGE's decimation of the forecasting workforce unravels a century of progress in hurricane survival rates. While the full impact of these cuts won't be seen overnight, the damage will compound the longer these positions go unfilled. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration isn't just a research agency; it's America's first line of defense against natural disasters. Forecasting is the foundation of all response efforts. While scientists aren't knocking doors with evacuation orders ourselves, we're the ones telling first responders when, if, and whose doors they should knock on. When NOAA functions at full capacity, emergency managers have the tools they need to prepare their communities. NOAA's remaining scientists and National Weather Service forecasters will give their all this hurricane season to deliver the most accurate forecasts possible, but dedication can't make up for a system that's been hollowed out, and grit can only hold together this critical system for so long. Privatizing these forecasting services creates a dangerous 'pay-to-play' model for life-saving information. This approach wouldn't just create barriers for low-income families; it would hamstring small municipalities and volunteer emergency services trying to protect their communities. The private sector cannot fill this void. The National Weather Service processes over 6 billion observations daily and issues approximately 1.5 million forecasts and 50,000 warnings annually. No private entity possesses infrastructure that can match this scale and reliability. There is a better path forward. By recommitting to public science and restoring forecasters' positions, we can build systems that adapt to changing storms, accurately track flood zones and storm paths, and provide both inland and coastal communities with the advanced warning they need to stay safe. We owe this to every family who will face the next Helene or Milton. Congress must act urgently to restore NOAA's full operational capacity and reject all efforts to privatize these essential services. The FY26 federal budget proposes a $1.3 billion cut to NOAA's core operations, such as satellite programs essential to forecasting, programs supporting climate modeling and even public education. NOAA can't issue life-saving warnings if its data stream has gone dark. And the research that drives improvements in modeling and forecasting is threatened if some of the budget proposals come to fruition. There have been some positive developments from Congress. The House Republicans' fiscal 2026 Commerce-Justice-Science spending bill, announced on Monday, proposes a much-smaller cut of $387 million, bringing the NOAA budget to $5.8 billion. While it's a modest improvement, it still does not fully cover the financial needs of an agency tasked with protecting hundreds of millions of Americans. Hurricane forecasting shouldn't be treated like a luxury or a political football. It's public infrastructure that's as essential as our power grids or water systems. Storm surges don't check voter registrations before flooding homes, and hurricanes won't stop based on who occupies the White House. Without urgent action in this year's budget, we risk turning the worst-case scenario into reality. The question isn't whether the storms are coming. It's whether we'll be ready when they do.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Yahoo
‘Flesh-eating' bacteria linked to first Florida deaths of 2025; one near Jacksonville
In Florida, 11 people have contracted Vibrio vulnificus, the so-called "flesh-eating" bacteria, and four of them have died from it so far in 2025, according to the Florida Department of Health. As of July 11, two cases have been reported in Northeast Florida, including one that led to the death of a St. Johns County resident. The other three fatalities in Florida have occurred in Bay, Broward and Hillsborough counties. Last year, there were a record 82 cases and 19 deaths, most of them after October, when large areas of the state were flooded by back-to-back hurricanes Helene and Milton. Vibrio vulnificus requires brackish saltwater to spread. Nationwide, vibriosis from Vibrio vulnificus and other Vibrio bacteria causes an estimated 80,000 illnesses and 100 deaths every year, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). What is Vibrio vulnificus? Vibrio vulnificus is a naturally occurring bacterial infection found in brackish seawater. People can contract it by exposing open cuts or wounds to the water or by eating raw or undercooked seafood. The FDOH did not specify the sources of the new cases. If the bacteria infect a person, they can cause the skin and soft tissue around a wound to quickly break down. Treatment may require limb amputation to stop the rapid flesh deterioration, and the infection can be fatal. Is there any 'flesh-eating' bacteria in Jacksonville? Locally, only one case has been identified in Duval County, but based on records by the Florida Health Department, no deaths have been reported in Jacksonville as of 2025. How many people have died from flesh-eating bacteria in Florida? Where? According to the FDOH, 4 people have died so far in 2025, as of Friday, July 11: Bay County: 1 Broward County: 1 Hillsborough County: 1 St. Johns: 1 Between 2008 and 2025, 178 people in Florida have died from Vibrio vulnificus, according to FDOH records. How many cases of flesh-eating bacteria have been reported in Florida? Where? According to the FDOH, 11 cases have been reported so far in 2025, as of Friday, July 11: Bay County: 1 Broward County: 1 Escambia County: 1 Hillsborough County: 1 Lee County: 1 Manatee County: 1 St. Johns County: 2 Santa Rosa County: 1 Walton County: 1 Latest conditions: Is the water safe to swim or fish near Jacksonville, Florida? More conditions: How is the water at Jacksonville's beaches? Where are the flesh-eating bacteria in Florida? The Vibrio vulnificus bacteria can be found in raw or undercooked seafood, saltwater, and brackish water, which is created when fresh water from a river or lake meets the salty water of the sea. Flooding spreads brackish water into places it doesn't usually get to, and people working in floodwaters during and after storms are susceptible. Vibrio vulnificus, while rare, can be life-threatening. Some Vibrio vulnificus infections lead to necrotizing fasciitis, a severe infection in which the flesh around an open wound dies. Without treatment, death can occur in just a few days. People with compromised immune systems, liver disease, or open wounds are at higher risk for Vibrio vulnificus, the FDOH said. What are the symptoms of Vibrio vulnificus or 'flesh-eating bacteria'? (WARNING: AN IMAGE BELOW MAY BE TOO GRAPHIC FOR SOME AUDIENCES) Common symptoms of Vibrio infection may include: Watery diarrhea, often accompanied by stomach cramping, nausea, vomiting, and fever. Bloodstream infection: fever, chills, dangerously low blood pressure, and blistering skin lesions. Wound infection, which may spread to the rest of the body: fever, redness, pain, swelling, warmth, discoloration, and discharge (leaking fluids). If you experience these symptoms after being exposed to floodwaters, seek medical attention immediately. Healthcare professionals can treat the infection with antibiotics, but in extreme cases arms and legs may need to be amputated to remove dead or infected tissue. "Many people with Vibrio vulnificus infection require intensive care or limb amputations," the CDC said on their site, "and about 1 in 5 people with this infection die, sometimes within a day or two of becoming ill." Do 'flesh-eating bacteria' actually eat flesh? No, but it does kill it. Vibrio vulnificus can cause necrotizing fasciitis that kills human tissue, including the skin and outer layer surrounding muscles, nerves, fat, blood vessels and organs. Calling it 'flesh-eating bacteria' is inaccurate, − though a common reference − because (1) it kills tissue, but does not eat it; and (2) it cannot penetrate intact skin, but must enter through an existing break in the skin. Can you get the flesh-eating bacteria from another person? "There is no evidence of person-to-person transmission of Vibrio vulnificus," the FDOH said. How can I avoid contracting Vibrio vulnificus? According to the FDOH and CDC: Avoid exposure of open wounds or broken skin to warm salt or brackish water, especially flood water, or to raw shellfish harvested from such waters. Stay out of the water, or cover your wound with a waterproof bandage. Immediately wash wounds and cuts thoroughly with soap and water after they have contact with saltwater, brackish water, raw seafood, or its juices. Seek immediate medical care if a wound develops redness, swelling, or oozing, or other signs of infection such as fever, increasing pain, shortness of breath, fast or high heart rate, or confusion or disorientation. Do not eat raw oysters or other raw shellfish. Eat shellfish promptly after cooking and refrigerate leftovers. Cook them thoroughly: Boil shellfish in the shell until the shells open and then for 5 more minutes, or steam them until the shells open and then for 9 more minutes. Boil shucked oysters for at least 3 minutes or fry them in oil for at least 10 minutes at 375 degrees. Do not eat shellfish that does not open during cooking. Avoid cross-contamination of cooked seafood and other foods with raw seafood and juices from raw seafood. Wear protective clothing (e.g., gloves) when handling raw shellfish. This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Vibrio vulnificus: 1 dead in Northeast FL from flesh-eating bacteria
