New exhibit geared towards kids opens at Clearwater Marine Aquarium

New exhibit opens at Clearwater Marine Aquarium

FOX 13's Kailey Tracey reports on the Clearwater Marine Aquarium's new BayCare Kids Check-Up Exhibit. This exhibit aims to teach kids and families about taking care of their health by connecting it to animals’ health.

CLEARWATER, Fla. - Nearly five months after the hurricanes, Clearwater Marine Aquarium (CMA) is starting to return to normal.

CEO Joe Handy says Hurricanes Helene and Milton caused about $2.5 million in damage.

On Wednesday, however, there was a reason to celebrate.

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The backstory:

CMA unveiled its newest attraction: the BayCare Kids Check-Up Exhibit. It teaches kids and families about taking care of their health by connecting it to animals’ health.

Kids at the BayCare Kids Check-Up Exhibit at Clearwater Marine Aquarium.

The interactive and educational exhibit is in the Mangrove Key Kids Zone just outside of CMA’s Animal Hospital and surgical suites.

It kicks off CMA’s three-year partnership with BayCare.

"It is extremely important, particularly as we invite our youth into this facility, that we continue to educate our youth on the connection between animal health and human health," Handy said.

"What we're looking to do is we're empowering the next generation to be good stewards of our world's oceans and understanding that human health and animal health have a direct correlation," Handy said. "We look at our animals as indicator species in many cases."

Kids at the BayCare Kids Check-Up Exhibit at Clearwater Marine Aquarium.

Dig deeper:

"When kids step up, and they get to see animals who are being cared for by their own physicians, they can relate that to their own experience, which sometimes can be scary," Dr. Christina Canody, a BayCare pediatrician, said. "But the more they know, the more they're educated, the better they relate to that experience, and the more they get from that.

Canody continued, "So, not only does it make them good stewards of their own health, but it helps them care for the community and those around them."

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Big picture view:

Not too long ago, three and a half feet of water flooded the space where the new exhibit is, along with several other spots in CMA’s original building.

"Seeing the damage from the hurricane, it was a little traumatic," Dr. Shelly Marquardt, the Vice President of Animal and Environmental Health for CMA, said. "I'm not going to lie. It's a place that you put your heart and soul into."

Marquardt was part of the team that stayed with the animals during the hurricanes.

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Hurricane damage to Clearwater Marine Aquarium.

"The animals did amazing," Marquardt said.

The Animal Hospital and surgical suite were also flooded with three and a half feet of water, forcing them to rip out cabinets and drywall.

"We're missing some of our medical equipment. But the community has been incredibly supportive, coming out and helping us, you know, by donating things," Marquardt said.

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Handy said they’re rebuilding the manatee rehab center that opened just a month before Helene.

Manatee viewing area at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium.

He said they lost some motors in that area and the system that keeps the water clean and healthy for the manatees.

The manatees that were there have been rehabbed and released back into the wild.

Local perspective:

Last month, CMA also temporarily furloughed about 50 employees.

"We had to make the tough decision to furlough some of our staff members temporarily in order to make sure that our revenue was matching our expenses," Handy said.

The employees, he said, were part-time positions, tour guides, and front-line positions.

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"What we experienced in 2024 was somewhat of a perfect storm in the sense that the economy was struggling," Handy said. "There was a lack of confidence, consumer confidence in the economy, high interest rates, and inflation. So, all of that aided in the softness of our attendance," Handy said.

Handy continued, "Then, in the tail end, we had storms. The hurricanes really took us out."

"We're excited about this spring break season and the summer season to be able to garner additional revenue to support the expenses to be able to bring those staff back."

What's next:

Both Handy and Marquardt say they’re confident CMA will come back even stronger.

"This place is incredibly resilient. The aquarium has been here for a really long time. We have an incredibly passionate group of people. And so, this is just one more bump that we're going to overcome," Marquardt said. "Our goal is to take care of animals and achieve our mission. We are rescue, rehab, and release. That has been our mission forever. We’re not going to be deterred in that process."

Handy says the rebuild timeline depends on funding.

CMA has been applying for different grants and hopes to get money from FEMA. The aquarium has also received several donations from the community.

The Source: FOX 13's Kailey Tracy collected the information in this story.

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