The Cox Science Center and Aquarium in West Palm Beach will receive $3 million through Florida’s newly signed state budget to support its ongoing expansion, adding to a capital campaign that has drawn major support from several Palm Beach philanthropists.
State Sen. Mack Bernard requested $5 million for the project, but that amount was whittled down by $2 million in the new budget, which took effect July 1.
The funding will help expand science education opportunities for children and families throughout Palm Beach County as the project moves forward, center President and CEO Kurt Allen said.
“We are incredibly grateful to the state of Florida for recognizing the impact this expansion will have on our community,” Allen told the Palm Beach Daily News. “Our purpose is to transform lives by opening every mind to science, and this investment will help us expand engaging learning opportunities for children and families throughout Palm Beach County, inspiring curiosity and preparing the next generation for the future.”
The center launched its expansion project in 2021 with a $20 million contribution from Palm Beach residents Howard and Wendy Cox, a gift that helped fund the campaign and rename the facility. It was previously known as the South Florida Science Center and Aquarium.
Billionaire developer Ken Griffin has given a total of $13 million, including a $5 million gift announced in April 2025, while Judy Lauder donated $10 million in April in honor of her late husband, Leonard Lauder, the former leader of The Estée Lauder Cos. The Lauders previously gave $5 million in 2023.
Other donors include Palm Beach residents Alina de Almeida and John Paulson, who pledged $7.5 million in November for the center’s new STEAM Studio, and Bill and Renay Meyer, who funded an aviation exhibit featuring two flight simulators.
Construction on the expansion began in May 2024 at the center’s Dreher Park campus, 4801 Dreher Trail N., and is expected to be completed in 2027, according to center officials.
The project is designed to significantly increase the center’s capacity, with a goal of serving nearly 1 million guests annually through expanded indoor and outdoor spaces, a new science building visible from Interstate 95 and one of Florida’s largest indoor aquariums.
Plans call for the indoor/outdoor campus to grow from 35,000 square feet to more than 100,000 square feet, with the aquarium increasing in size from 10,000 gallons to 160,000 gallons.
Gov. Ron DeSantis signed Florida’s new $117.6 billion budget during a ceremony at Tampa’s Hillsborough College. DeSantis’ on June 29, a month after it was approved by lawmakers in a special session.
Additional features coming to the center include an interactive “extended reality” experience, displaying signature programs from rocket launches to deep-sea exploration; classrooms and programming designed to build skills for today’s most in-demand careers; and an expanded biology lab that consolidates the center’s preferred provider status to all schools in Palm Beach County, the center said.
The center’s current indoor/outdoor venue features hands-on educational exhibits, a 10,000-gallon aquarium, observatory and outdoor science trail. The Cox Amphitheater hosts daily live science shows, STEAM Cart activities and special events.
The current traveling exhibit, “Sean Kenney’s Brick Planet,” will be on view through Sept. 27. The latest outdoor exhibit, “The Giants of the Ice Age,” will be open through April 13, 2027.
Jodie Wagner is a journalist at the Palm Beach Daily News, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach her at jwagner@pbdailynews.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Daily News: Science center in W. Palm Beach gets $3M in state funds for expansion
Reporting by Jodie Wagner, Palm Beach Daily News / Palm Beach Daily News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Jodie Wagner, Palm Beach Daily News | USA TODAY Network
