State funding boosts Science Center revival
The Science Center of Pinellas County took another step toward revival this week with a ceremonial check presentation celebrating $800,000 in state funding. The money, included in the proposed state budget, will help reactivate the long-shuttered facility at 7701 22nd Ave. North in St. Petersburg.
The Center, once a fixture for school field trips and hands-on STEM learning, closed in 2014 after more than five decades of service. Supporters have been working to bring it back as a hub for both education and innovation, preserving the mid-century landmark while expanding its footprint.
From left: Rep. Berny Jacques, Joe Hamilton, Sen Darryl Rouson, Irv Cohen and Amy Cianci.
State Sen. Darryl Rouson and Rep. Berny Jacques championed the appropriation in Tallahassee, continuing their bipartisan push to restore the Center. Last year, they secured $2.5 million for the effort. The latest funding adds to momentum already underway, with more than $14 million raised toward what is expected to be a $25 million project.
Plans call for renovations to the existing rotunda, construction of a new facility and restoration of the Historic Mosaic Trail.
Looking forward, the Center is set to house the Artificial Intelligence Center of Excellence, or AICOE, which aims to prepare the region for transformational changes in our technological landscape. AICOE will provide essential education and programming for students, adults, government agencies and organizations, teaching best practices in artificial intelligence and other emerging fields. Leaders see it as a way to ensure the community is not just reacting to technological change, but shaping how it unfolds.
By linking its legacy of hands-on science education with forward-looking programs in emergent technology, the Science Center is positioning itself as both classroom and laboratory. Supporters say it will be a place where children can explore the wonder of science, entrepreneurs can build new ventures and public institutions can learn how to apply tools that are reshaping industries.
The check presentation marked a symbolic moment for a project that has become a community-wide effort. For many, it represents not only the preservation of a beloved institution but also a longterm investment in education and economic growth.