Over a decade of planning and fundraising culminated in a landmark moment for Florida’s coastline this week as the University of Florida officially cut the ribbon on its upgraded Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience and Sea Turtle Hospital.
The $41.2 million facility represents a massive leap forward for marine research and animal rehabilitation in the region. Spanning 38,000 square feet, the state-of-the-art building is designed to bridge the gap between high-level genetic research and the immediate, life-saving needs of local marine life.
For patients like Comet Moth, a green sea turtle currently battling for survival, the upgrade could not have come sooner. Comet Moth is suffering from fibropapillomatosis, a debilitating and frequently fatal disease that causes restrictive tumor growth…