JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A local group is moving forward on a bold new plan to create an aquarium in downtown Jacksonville. They say it could turn downtown from a place of business into a destination for local families and tourists.
The biggest hurdle to seeing that vision fulfilled is money. Developers say they need about $100 million to make this happen.
The local group Aqua Jax said only about half of that total would need to be raised through donations to make the aquarium a reality.
A world-class aquarium could be a new anchor to draw people to Jacksonville's waterfront.
"Jacksonville needs an iconic attraction to pull people off the highways," said George Harrell, president of Aqua Jax.
The aquarium would feature wildlife found in the surrounding area and cost roughly $100 million -- money Aqua Jax doesn't have right now.
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"We will be looking for donations and people involved for probably around $50 million," said Harrell.
Harrell said the first step to getting the $100 million is finding $50,000 for a study to show the potential economic impact of the aquarium. Action News asked people in downtown Jacksonville about this potential impact.
"That's going to add weekend traffic downtown, it's going to increase revenues for everybody," said Greg DeSanto of Olio Restaurant.
Aqua Jax said the aquarium would be visible from the highway, making Jacksonville a destination spot.
"We believe that an aquarium with other attractions and other features will make Jacksonville a must-stop," Harrell said.
"I think it will be a landmark more than anything else that's currently downtown," said DeSanto.
Harrell said Aqua Jax hopes to raise the $50,000 for the impact study within the next few weeks. From there, if they get the $100 million, he said the aquarium could ideally be completed by the end of 2017.
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