Brevard Zoo announces plans for Bowen Aquarium and Conservation Center

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Published  December 2, 2024 11:35pm EST
FOX 35 Orlando
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Brevard Zoo announces plans for aquarium

The Brevard Zoo has unveiled the name of its highly anticipated aquarium project: the Bowen Aquarium and Conservation Center, set to be built at Port Canaveral.

PORT CANAVERAL, Fla. - The Brevard Zoo has unveiled the name of its highly anticipated aquarium project: the Bowen Aquarium and Conservation Center, set to be built at Port Canaveral.

Named in honor of John and Pat Bowen, whose $1 million donation helped launch the project, the facility aims to fill a gap in major aquariums along the I-95 corridor south of Charleston, S.C.

"They seem to love the zoo most of all. So they wanted to invest in it," said Keith Winsten, CEO of the East Coast Zoological Foundation. "And when they heard that the state had pulled back some funding for aquarium planning because of some budget issues, they came forward, and they wrote a $1 million check." 

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The aquarium, designed as a regional hub for conservation, will focus on coastal ecosystem restoration and rehabilitation of sea turtles and manatees. With 86% of its $100 million fundraising goal already met, groundbreaking is scheduled for next year.

"It's a constant presence to make sure we don't lose sight of what makes quality of life here in East Central Florida," Winsten said. "We're really excited about that. but we still have a ways to go."

The Bowen Aquarium and Conservation Center is expected to open within two to three years of the groundbreaking.

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