Conceptual rendering courtesy of Bowen Aquarium, via Space Coast Daily.

The Bowen Aquarium and Conservation Center is scheduled to break ground on December 2, 2026, bringing a new wildlife and conservation campus to the Banana River shoreline at Port Canaveral.

The $140 million project is planned for a 14-acre site at 650 George King Boulevard, near the cruise terminals.

It will be the second campus of the East Coast Zoological Foundation, the nonprofit behind Brevard Zoo.

The aquarium will focus on animals found in Florida’s own waters, including bull sharks, stingrays, alligators and sea turtles.

Plans call for more than 20 indoor and outdoor habitats, giving visitors a closer look at species from the Indian River Lagoon and surrounding waterways.

At the planned Scaife Family Sea Turtle Care Complex, visitors will be able to learn how sick and injured sea turtles are treated and what it takes to return them to the wild.

The campus will also teach visitors about the work underway to restore the Indian River Lagoon and protect the habitats local wildlife depends on.

In September, the project team reported conditional site plan approval, an updated lease approved by the Canaveral Port Authority and approval of tax-exempt bond financing.

The aquarium estimates construction will take 24 to 30 months after groundbreaking, with additional time for animals to settle into their habitats before visitors arrive.

An opening date has yet to be announced.