Mote Marine Laboratory is in the final stretch to open an educational outreach center on the Anna Maria City Pier.
Anna Maria Mayor Dan Murphy March 30 emailed city commissioners to announce the city issued a certificate of occupancy for Mote’s outreach center that day.
“All inspections of the new Mote facility on the Anna Maria City Pier have been successfully completed and the CO has been issued. Mote will be installing the aquatic tanks and other display items between now and opening day,” Murphy wrote.
The facility is housed in the 1,800-square-foot building on the pier’s T-end and will feature live exhibits with about 1,000 gallons of recirculating seawater.
The project has been in the works since Mote reached a contract with the city in September 2021 to lease the building to house the outreach center.
The city previously had planned for a restaurant at the location.
The city is set to hold a grand-opening ceremony for the outreach center at 10 a.m. Friday, May 5, on land at City Pier Park, 103 N. Bay Blvd., and on the pier.
— Ryan Paice