‘Knowledge vs. hamburgers.’ Learning center, not a restaurant, could open on Anna Maria pier
Anna Maria City Pier, rebuilt at a cost of $6.8 million, reopened in June 2020, three years after being destroyed by Hurricane Irma.
At the reopening of the iconic pier at 100 N. Bay Blvd., an unresolved bit of business remained: Which restaurant would go into the building at the end of the pier?
After unsuccessful negotiations with several restaurant operators, it turns out the answer could be “none of the above.”
Mote Marine Laboratory in Sarasota and city of Anna Maria officials are in talks about converting the unfinished building shell into a marine educational outreach center that would be open to the public.
“They are very much interested,” Mayor Dan Murphy said this week.
Anna Maria city commissioners are interested, too, voting 4-1 to pursue the idea.
Why should the city be in the commercial leasing business, when it can put its space to use as a learning and research center, Murphy said.
“Mote is learning about the environment and the ecosystem. It becomes knowledge vs. hamburgers,” he said.
The 1,800-square-foot shell at the end of the pier would become the learning center and attract tourists, educate and entertain locals, and enhance the overall Anna Maria Island experience, according to the proposal.
A proposed layout shows aquarium habitats for juvenile sportfish, grassflats, schooling fish and stone crab, and a touch exhibit. Also proposed: interactives, including sportfish identification and sounds of the sea, an information desk, and retail space.
Potential education programs include story times, guided tours and science talks. Outdoor programming for children could include fishing workshops, field explorations and more.
Among the educational goals of the proposed learning center: increase knowledge about AMI flora, fauna and ecosystems, increase understanding of estuarine conservation issues, increase awareness of conservation angling practices, and increase awareness of Mote Marine Laboratory research and conservation efforts.
The proposed design and installation budget for the learning center is $555,600. Murphy said supporters would approach the Manatee County Tourist Development Council with a request for $500,000 in tourist bed tax funds. The remainder would come from philanthropic gifts.
The annual cost to operate the center is projected at $444, 134, with $337,967 coming in-kind from Mote Marine. The rest of the budget would come from retail sales, education programs, and donations. The city of Anna Maria would pick up the cost of utilities, estimated at $9,500 a year.
“The two core pillars of what we do at Mote are research and enhancing ocean literacy by sharing our research with the public, especially the next generation of marine scientists.,” Mote President & CEO Michael P. Crosby said in a prepared statement. “Mote has always engaged our community through informal science education in our aquarium and in the classroom.
“Likewise, the community of Anna Maria has a great connection to the marine environment, especially apparent in the 100-plus year history of the City Pier. The restored Anna Maria Island City Pier presents an additional location where Mote can connect folks with our marine research, how they can interact and conserve the waters around Anna Maria, and tell the long history of the community’s relationship with the marine environment.
“The Mayor and City Commission have been wonderful to work with as we came up with this proposal, and we’re grateful that they recognize the great educational and entertaining experience this mutually beneficial partnership will bring to Anna Maria and Manatee County residents and visitors,” Crosby said.
This story was originally published March 4, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
