America's First Undersea Park Launches $52M Vision for the Future
FLORIDA KEYS VIDEO ADVISORY April 23, 2026
Contacts: Chad Newman, Chad@fla-keys.com (310) 283-8441 or Mary B. Haban, Mary@fla-keys.com (305) 394-3142
Story: America's First Undersea Park Launches $52M Vision for the Future
Locator: Key Largo, Florida Keys
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Photo Captions Below
Video: B-roll of the groundbreaking ceremony at John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park for the new Discovery Center & Aquarium in Key Largo, Florida Keys, on Earth Day, April 22, 2026. Video includes ceremony remarks, a ceremonial shovel turn, and B-Roll of the park including drone aerials and Underwater file footage. SOT with Kara Franker, President & CEO of Visit Florida Keys. SOT with Tom Pennekamp, Vice President, Florida State Parks Foundation and grandson of park namesake John D. Pennekamp. SOT with Chuck Hatcher Director, Florida State Parks.
Technical Data:
TRT: 3:58
Filename: PennekampGroundBreaking.mp4
Audio: Stereo Mix
SOTs: Clean / Isolated
B-Roll: Nat. Sound
Credit: Florida Keys News Bureau (Screen credit appreciated, not mandatory)
NOTE TO EDITORS/PRODUCERS: Pennekamp is pronounced PENN-E-Camp.
America's First Undersea Park Launches $52M Vision for the Future
KEY LARGO, Florida Keys (April 23, 2026) -- For more than 60 years...they’ve come here. Families. Divers. Dreamers.
Almost a half a million visitors a year, drawn to something just offshore. America’s first undersea park…and the only living barrier reef in North America.
On Earth Day, that legacy moved forward in the Florida Keys at John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park.
With shovels in the sand, a $52 million vision took shape. A new Discovery Center and Aquarium designed to bring the reef to life…before you ever get in the water.
When it opens in the fall of 2028, seven tanks totaling 43,000 gallons will anchor the facility. The centerpiece: a 23,000-gallon tank devoted entirely to Florida's Coral Reef, the only living coral barrier reef along the coast of North America.
For Monroe County, the project carries both economic weight and environmental significance. And according to the County’s Tourist Development Council, it will help fuel the tourism economy.
"John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park isn't just one of the crown jewels of the state park system," said Kara Franker, President & CEO of Visit Florida Keys. "It is an economic engine for Monroe County. When you have almost half a million visitors coming through here, you know what they also do? They stay in our hotels, they eat at our restaurants, they patronize our businesses."
In the weeks leading up to this groundbreaking, the Monroe County Tourist Development Council committed $2 million to the project. A meaningful investment in a place that has given so much to this community.
A commitment to ensure that this living legacy…endures for generations to come.
“$52 million is what we’re going into this project. And it’s that important to us. This will be the gateway to the Keys for the state parks,” said Chuck Hatcher, Director, Florida State Parks.
John D. Pennekamp, a journalist and conservationist, helped protect these waters in the 1950s, long before most people understood what was at stake.
And on this Earth Day…his legacy lived on in three generations of the Pennekamp family. A full-circle moment…at the place that bears his name.
"Decades ago, my grandfather took me, along with some of my siblings here, to introduce the park to me for the very first time," said Tom Pennekamp, Vice President of the Florida State Parks Foundation and the grandson of the park’s namesake. "He walked up to a park ranger and says, 'I'm here to show off my park to my grandchildren.' I remember the very proud face he had that day. And I think I probably had that same proud face on me today as well."
The popular park was the first undersea park in the United States. Its reef stretches more than 350 miles from the Florida Keys north to St. Lucie Inlet, and supports a tourism economy built on snorkeling, diving, and boat tours. The new center will add storm simulators showing how mangroves protect the coastline, a shipwreck display, interactive exhibits, and wildlife encounters with native marine species. Mote Marine Laboratory, which has restored more than 200,000 corals to Florida's reef, will also grow corals on site within the facility.
The Discovery Center and Aquarium is set to open in the fall 2028. The park will remain open while construction is underway.
A reef that stretches more than 350 miles. A park that helped define conservation in America. Now reimagined for the next generation. And a mission that stays the same. Protect what’s beneath the surface. Inspire those above it.
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Momentous Milestone. Officials from Monroe County, Florida and Florida State Parks are all smiles as they break ground on the new John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park Discovery Center and Aquarium during an Earth Day ceremony at the park in Key Largo. The $52 million facility is set to open in the fall of 2028 and will include seven tanks totaling 43,000 gallons, including a 23,000-gallon tank devoted to Florida's Coral Reef — the only living coral barrier reef along the coast of North America. (Mariela Care/Florida Keys News Bureau) // HANDOUT - RIGHTS CLEARED //
Investing in the future. Kara Franker, President & CEO of Visit Florida Keys, delivers some much-needed news during the Earth Day groundbreaking ceremony for the new John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park Discovery Center and Aquarium in Key Largo, Fla. She announces The Monroe County Tourist Development Council’s $2 million investment in the $52 million project that’s on track to open in fall 2028. (Mariela Care/Florida Keys News Bureau) // HANDOUT - RIGHTS CLEARED //
A world of possibility! Chuck Hatcher, Director of Florida State Parks, is elated as he addresses the crowd at the Earth Day groundbreaking ceremony for the new John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park Discovery Center and Aquarium in Key Largo, Fla. Hatcher called the $52 million project "the gateway to the Keys for the state parks." (Mariela Care/Florida Keys News Bureau) // HANDOUT - RIGHTS CLEARED //
A living legacy. Tom Pennekamp, Vice President of the Florida State Parks Foundation and grandson of park namesake John D. Pennekamp, addresses guests during the Earth Day groundbreaking ceremony for the John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park Discovery Center and Aquarium in Key Largo, Fla. Pennekamp recalled his grandfather bringing him to the park as a child: "He walked up to a park ranger and says, 'I'm here to show off my park to my grandchildren.'" (Mariela Care/Florida Keys News Bureau) // HANDOUT - RIGHTS CLEARED //
Smiles for miles. From left, John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park Manager Shane Zigler, Visit Florida Keys President and CEO Kara Franker, Florida State Parks Foundation Vice President Tom Pennekamp, and Florida State Parks Director Chuck Hatcher gather following the Earth Day groundbreaking ceremony for the park's new $52 million Discovery Center and Aquarium in Key Largo, Fla. The facility is set to open fall 2028. (Mariela Care/Florida Keys News Bureau) // HANDOUT - RIGHTS CLEARED //
Coasting to a brighter future. Kayakers glide through the mangrove channel leading to the marina at John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park in Key Largo, Fla. on Earth Day. Each year, the popular park draws more than half a million visitors and anchors a tourism economy built on snorkeling, diving, and on-water recreation. A new $52 million Discovery Center and Aquarium, set to open in fall 2028, will include exhibits on the ecological role of mangroves in protecting Florida's coastline. (Mariela Care/Florida Keys News Bureau) // HANDOUT - RIGHTS CLEARED //
The road to reality. An architectural rendering shows the planned John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park Discovery Center and Aquarium in Key Largo, Fla. The $52 million facility will feature seven tanks totaling 43,000 gallons, including a 23,000-gallon tank devoted to Florida's Coral Reef. The center is set to open fall 2028. The park will remain open during construction. (Rendering courtesy of Florida State Parks) // HANDOUT - RIGHTS CLEARED //
A look inside. An interior rendering shows the centerpiece exhibit of the planned John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park Discovery Center and Aquarium in Key Largo. The facility will feature seven tanks totaling 43,000 gallons, anchored by a 23,000-gallon tank devoted to Florida's Coral Reef — the only living coral barrier reef along the coast of North America. The center is scheduled to open in fall 2028. (Rendering courtesy of Florida State Parks) // HANDOUT - RIGHTS CLEARED //
A vision takes shape. A rendering shows the entrance to the new Discovery Center and Aquarium planned for John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park in Key Largo. The $52 million facility, set to open in fall 2028, will serve as what Florida State Parks Director Chuck Hatcher called "the gateway to the Keys for the state parks." The park will remain open during construction. (Rendering courtesy of Florida State Parks) // HANDOUT - RIGHTS CLEARED //