Jacksonville Zoo’s Campus Transformation Adds New Manatee Rehabilitation Center and Visitor Entrance Opening March 6

A new critical-care habitat and entrance anchor early phases of a larger redevelopment plan

Jacksonville Zoo and Botanical Gardens is preparing to open a new manatee rehabilitation facility and a redesigned main entrance on March 6, marking a significant milestone in a broader, multi-phase campus transformation.

The debut combines the J. Wayne and Delores Barr Weaver Manatee River habitat with the VyStar SkyScape entrance. Together, the projects are designed to expand the zoo’s ability to treat injured and cold-stressed Florida manatees while reshaping how visitors enter and move through the campus.

What is being built: capacity, scale, and visitor-facing design

The Manatee River project is a 330,000-gallon critical-care facility intended for rescue, rehabilitation, recovery and release. The zoo says the new habitat will expand on-site capacity from six manatees to at least 20 at a time, a change that would increase throughput during high-need periods.

On the visitor side, the new covered entrance includes a roughly 50-foot-tall canopy and wrap-around video displays, with space planned for ticketing functions as well as event-oriented uses such as a stage and lounge areas. The entrance is designed to provide direct views into the manatee habitat and to integrate food, retail, and event facilities.

• Manatee facility size: 330,000 gallons

• Planned care capacity: from six to at least 20 manatees simultaneously

• Project cost cited by the zoo: $70 million for the habitat and entrance package

How the new center fits into Florida’s manatee rescue system

Florida’s manatee response network includes federally permitted acute-care facilities that stabilize sick, injured, and orphaned manatees before they are released or transferred to secondary holding facilities while awaiting release. Jacksonville’s zoo is part of the acute-care tier, alongside facilities in the Tampa, Orlando, and Homosassa Springs areas.

In practical terms, having acute-care capacity in Northeast Florida can reduce transport time for rescues originating on the First Coast, a factor that can matter in cases involving cold stress, illness, or traumatic injuries such as boat strikes.

Funding recognition and the wider campus transformation

The entrance and manatee habitat also recognize major philanthropic support, including a $2.25 million gift associated with VyStar Credit Union and $3 million from the Weavers.

The projects are positioned as early deliverables within a longer-term redevelopment plan branded as “Rezoovenation,” described as an estimated $120 million transformation intended to renovate large portions of the zoo campus. Planned elements include a renovated parking lot, a new education campus with an expanded lion habitat, a redesigned elephant habitat, and the introduction of orangutans.

The new facilities are expected to open to the public March 6.

Construction activity has already affected the south side of the zoo’s parking lot and may continue to influence parking availability and on-site conditions during the buildout of additional phases.