If you’re a Tampa Bay resident, you’ve probably visited the dolphins, otters and other sea life at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium.
After sustaining serious damage from hurricanes Helene and Milton, the nonprofit is being forced to make some big changes to keep the doors open.
As of Jan. 20, 50 of the 175 employees — 22 full-time and 28 part-time — have been furloughed for two to three months. Aquarium leadership have also taken salary cuts in increasing percentages from managers and directors up through the top officials, according to director of media communications Marsha Strickhouser.
That includes CEO Joe Handy, who said the drastic cost-cutting effort comes after last year's storms caused extremely low attendance numbers. He said ticket sales provide "the lion's share of [the aquarium's] revenue."
He said that there was a significant dip in visits as people evacuated and prepared for Hurricane Helene. Since some Tampa Bay area residents are still picking up the pieces after Milton followed, attendance never really picked back up.
Some buildings also suffered structural damage, including water pumps and some life-support systems that help keep the animals healthy.
“It caused us to have to move our manatees out of the habitat and it caused us to have to start the renovation process," Handy said.
The decision to sideline staff wasn't easy, he added, but it came after trying several other money-saving measures first.
“We’ve also engaged in things about a year ago, with bringing in third-party vendors to offset some of our expenses.”
Handy and his team think they'll be back on track soon.
“The hope is that we’re able to bring those staff members back once we start to see the uptick in attendance by way of spring break and leading into the summer.”
The aquarium will be ramping up their marketing efforts to encourage tourists and locals to support them and other local businesses. They're also encouraging people to donate to their Rising Tides comprehensive campaign, which will be re-launching soon.
