FLORIDA AQUARIUM INC
Protect and Restore our Blue Planet
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Our Blue Planet needs us. Today, our ocean, complete with her many smaller oceans and seas, is under threat from many complex issues: acidification and pollution to climate change and over fishing. To save her, The Florida Aquarium starts working right in our own blue backyard —Tampa Bay, the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean. We work to protect and restore animal species and their habitats. We focus on three animals that play enormous roles in managing our blue backyard: Sea turtles — because they are barometers of marine health; Sharks — because they are essential top-down managers of marine ecosystems; and Coral — because they are building blocks of marine habitats and oxygen-giving marine organisms. We are passionate, committed and fired up about protecting and restoring our piece of the blue planet. There is no question in our minds, we can and we must do this. We hope you’ll join us and take these action through philanthropically supporting The Florida Aquarium.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Aquarium Visitation
To entertain, educate and inspire stewardship of the natural environment.
Education programs
From students to teachers and field trips to travel camps, the Aquarium has education programs perfectly suited to educate, engage and inspire.
Where we work
External reviews
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Total number of paid admissions
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adults, Children and youth
Related Program
Aquarium Visitation
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
After a six-week closure and limited capacity in 2020 and 2021 due to COVID-19, Aquarium visitation is now exceeding pre-pandemic levels.
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Reports and documents
Download strategic planLearn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
Since 1995, The Florida Aquarium has been opening eyes to the world outside to encourage conservation of the ocean; keeping with a mission to entertain, educate and inspire stewardship of the natural environment. Since opening, The Florida Aquarium has reached over 1.5 million children through its educational programming.
As a community hub for conservation and environmental stewardship it is the goal of The Florida Aquarium to bring together corporate, government, and individuals to build and expand our impact in Tampa Bay and throughout our Blue Planet.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
We work to protect and restore animal species and their habitats. We focus on three animals that play enormous roles in managing our blue backyard: sea turtles, sharks, and coral. We also elevate and expand our reach through rescuing injured birds, supporting swallow-tailed kite population research and providing funding for important conservation programs for threatened and endangered animals in our collection such as penguins and lemurs.
The animals in our care are key to our conservation efforts. Our priority is to provide our animal family with a great life, which includes a full wellness program that provides excellent health care, specialized nutrition, other animals with which to interact and plenty of room to roam to suit their natural behaviors. While we expand our knowledge about them, you can too, while connecting in positive, safe and inspiring ways through our exhibits, programs, and initiatives.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
The Florida Aquarium is a 501 c (3) nonprofit organization established in 1986 to entertain, educate, and inspire stewardship of the natural environment. The Florida Aquarium is led by a board of directors, a foundation board, and trustees. The Florida Aquarium's president, executive team, and nearly 300 staff lead and manage The Florida Aquarium to achieve our conservation initiatives, educational programs, and efforts to protect and restore our blue planet.
On March 31, 1995, The Florida Aquarium opened its doors in Tampa, serving one million residents and visitors to the Tampa Bay area and brought a positive economic impact of $60-million to the community in its first year of operation. The Florida Aquarium continues to have a profound economic and environmental impact on over 800,000 guests annually. The Florida Aquarium is primarily sustained by general admissions revenue, but is also supported financially by NOAA, generous individual donations, and several corporate partners.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
The Florida Aquarium had over 1,000,000 paid visitors in FY 2023.
The organization has become fully staffed in the Development Department with highly motivated and educated development professionals. Across the organization there has been leadership training and development. New President & CEO Roger Germann has served at The Florida Aquarium for over six years and has led the organization to successful fundraising outcomes, enhanced educational impact, & increased guest opportunities for engagement. The Florida Aquarium continues to build partnerships locally and globally with Florida Fish and Wildlife, corporate partners, and the National Aquarium of Cuba.
Recent accomplishments include:
*August 2022, The Florida Aquarium announced a three-part expansion, which will bring new species, habitats, and experiences to guests.
*November 2022, the Aquarium and Tampa General Hospital expanded their partnership and open the Animal Health Care Center, a facility that brings a behind-the-scenes look at animal medical treatments to Aquarium guests.
*July 2023, the Aquarium opened the Mosaic Exhibit Hall, a continuously changing space to create new experiences for guests. The exhibit hall debuted with the MORPH'D gallery, featuring interactive exhibits, multimedia experiences, and a diversity of curious creatures that are perfectly evolved to survive.
* December 2023, the Aquarium surpassed 1 million annual visitors for the first time since opening in 1995.
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive, We tell the people who gave us feedback how we acted on their feedback
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
It is difficult to get the people we serve to respond to requests for feedback
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
FLORIDA AQUARIUM INC
Board of directorsas of 02/08/2024
Mr. John Couris
Tampa General Hospital
Daniel E. Borasch
JPMorgan Chase Foundation
Lauren Fernandez
Bank of Central Florida
K. Tyler Hill
Hill Ward Henderson
Kimberly Bruce
CIBC Private Wealth Management
Lakshmi Shenoy
Embarc Collective
Dale Hoffman
Douglas B. Montgomery
OCP North America
Reginald Goins
Felicia Harvey
Cognizant
G. Robert Blanchard
WRB Enterprises, Inc.
Douglas C. Brigman
Raymond James & Associates, Inc.
Santiago Corrada
Visit Tampa Bay
Carlos Aldazabal
TECO Energy, Inc.
John J. Miller
Andrea Gonzmart Williams
1905 Restaurant Group
Charlie Miranda
City Council, Tampa
Dennis Rogero
City of Tampa
Yaqub Ahmed
Franklin Templeton
Balaji Bellur
David Bevirt
Strategic Property Partners
Leo Cannyn
Beryl Project Engineering, LLC
Doreen Caudell
D-Mar General Contracting & Development
Michael T. Esposito
Bank of America
Rini Fredette
Kristin Greco
PAR, Inc.
Ronnie Green
Green Outdoors, LLC
Marcus Greene
The Alea Group, LLC
Tom Mosey
Mini Melts, Inc.
Michael Owen
Hillsborough County Board of Commissioners
Danny Persaud
MidFlorida Armored & ATM Services
Benjamin Pratt
The Mosaic Company
Veronica Cintron Rudie
Tampa International Airport
Adam Thomas
FORVIS
Eric Weisberg
Tampa Bay Rays
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
No data
Gender identity
Transgender Identity
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
No data
Equity strategies
Last updated: 03/11/2022GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- We review compensation data across the organization (and by staff levels) to identify disparities by race.
- We analyze disaggregated data and root causes of race disparities that impact the organization's programs, portfolios, and the populations served.
- We disaggregate data to adjust programming goals to keep pace with changing needs of the communities we support.
- We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
- We use a vetting process to identify vendors and partners that share our commitment to race equity.
- We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
- We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
- We measure and then disaggregate job satisfaction and retention data by race, function, level, and/or team.
- We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.