The Florida Museum of Natural History announced its temporary closure in a Sept. 6 press release, revealing a large-scale, front-end expansion project anticipated to span the next two years beginning Jan. 6.
The jobs of 29 hourly visitor services staff members will be “paused” as their positions will end when the museum closes, the press release said.
Renovation plans include upgrading classroom learning spaces for educational programming, adding technological renovations to its temporary exhibit gallery, improving the Central Gallery lobby area, front desk and restrooms and expanding the gift shop.
Permanent exhibits like the Discovery Zone and Florida Fossils will be deep-cleaned during the closure but not included in the upgrades. The Butterfly Rainforest will also close, but its wildlife will continue to be taken care of. Shipments of new butterflies will stop at the time of the closure.
Melanie Rorech, a 35-year-old mother, lounged in the Discovery Zone on Sept. 19 as her two-year-old daughter, Penny, played around. Rorech said they love it there and that it’s nice that she can let Penny roam around.
“We’re pretty bummed about it,” Rorech said. “We’ve been coming like twice a week.”
The mother and daughter frequently visit from Ocala and appreciate the indoor interactive space, where they can beat the Florida heat for free.
“I’m excited that it’s going to be bigger and better, but 15 months is a long time,” she said. “We’ll definitely be back a few more times before they close.”
Created by the Thompson Earth Systems Institute, renovations will build a new interactive exhibition gallery called “Earth to Florida,” which will feature interactions between Earth’s spheres. According to the press release, it will incorporate the museum’s Fossil Plant Garden and replace the outdoor seating with new seats.
Jaret Daniels, entomologist and museum curator, said the news was exciting and offers more opportunities to improve visitor interactions and experiences.
With a $20 million budget, the museum’s main vision is to enhance its visibility and bring the building’s exterior and interior into the 21st century, Daniels said.
Daniels said the closure was a big decision for the museum, and it simply wasn’t financially or operationally feasible to do a major construction project with people in the building.
“It is certainly unfortunate,” he said. “We don’t take decisions like that lightly when it affects people. But there’s just no other real, viable path forward for us with this, so I think it’s the right decision.”
The closure, he said, allows for the condensed 15-month anticipated duration.
Douglas Jones, the museum director, said the decision comes after years of fundraising and planning.
Architects and contractors solidified construction plans Aug. 28, Jones said. The very next day, Jones emailed the 29 part-time other personal services staff who would be out of a job during the closure, he said, and proceeded to meet with and answer the questions of affected staffers.
“It is hard because the people there, we rely on them, and they’re good at what they do,” he said.
Salaried employees will retain their positions during the closure, and Jones’ team is helping OPS staffers find alternative employment on campus within the next four months before the museum’s closure, he said.
Daniels said staff members are welcome to reapply to the museum after its closure.
Despite the $150,000 loss in general operating support after Gov. DeSantis vetoed all arts grants in Florida this fiscal year, Jones said the loss didn’t impact the decision to close. The museum received a $500,000 grant from the state’s division of historical resources that will help preserve its archaeological material and exhibits, he said.
“While our physical doors may be closed at that time, our presence in the community is going to continue, and this does not affect any of the research collection side of the museum,” Daniels said.
The museum hopes to broaden its partnership and education offerings across North Central Florida through outreach like pop-up exhibits and events.
“This does not affect our strategic goals in the community, our mission of education and connecting people to the natural world more broadly,” Daniels said.
Contact Noor Sukkar at nsukkar@alligator.org. Follow her on X @noorsukkarr.
Noor Sukkar is a third-year journalism major with a minor in Arabic. She is the Avenue's Fall 2024 General Assignment reporter. When she's not writing, she's most likely talking to her cat or overwatering her plants.
