Port Canaveral Aquarium Amendment: Construction Start by June 30, 2027
Updated: 1 day ago
The Canaveral Port Authority board's October 28, 2026 agenda asked it to approve a 4th amendment to the development agreement with the East Coast Zoological Society of Florida, the aquarium's developer. Under the new Master Timeline, construction starts no later than June 30, 2027 and the aquarium opens not later than March 1, 2030. The amendment also moves the full cost of the George King Boulevard extension and the entry roads to the Port.
The Port Canaveral Aquarium Timeline
The campus sits on an approximately 14-acre parcel on the Banana River. The development agreement dates to October 6, 2021 and has been amended three times. The board approved the ground lease at its September meeting, and the timeline shows it executed September 30, 2026.
The leasehold title insurance policy is estimated for December 1, 2026. The entry road and the George King Boulevard extension are due no later than September 1, 2029. Construction is to be complete by October 31, 2029, with opening by March 1, 2030.
Who Pays for the Road
Before this amendment the road work came out of a shared infrastructure contribution capped at $3.5 million. Now the Port designs and builds the George King Boulevard extension and the entry roads at its sole cost, and the extension may include a State Road 528 overpass. The $3.5 million can still pay for water, sewer and telecom to the property line and stormwater to the offsite pond.
While the extension is built, the Port gives the society staging and temporary parking in the Future Development Area at no cost. It also builds replacement parking for any spaces the road takes. Item 5.B, a temporary access easement, lets aquarium construction start before the road exists; it becomes a permanent easement once the road is built.
Bluepoints Marina Closes for Cruise Terminal 4
Item 5.A on the same agenda says Bluepoints Marina is scheduled to close at the end of 2028 because new Cruise Terminal 4 is planned on its site. Cape Marina is to be redeveloped into a new full-service marina with wet and dry slips for both marinas' customers and the public. That site is under three leases with Cape Marine Services, Inc. that expire December 31, 2026.
To run both marinas through the transition, staff recommended a management agreement with Founders 3 Management Company starting January 1, 2027 at Cape Marina and by June 1, 2027 at Bluepoints. The Port keeps the marina revenue and pays the expenses. The fee is $9,500 a month at Cape Marina and the greater of $12,000 or 4.5% of revenue, less fuel and cost of goods sold, at Bluepoints.
Related: the aquarium ground lease and the GT USA cargo lease.
If you own or lease property near the port and want to talk through what this schedule means for it, call 321-514-0876 or use the contact page.
Sources
Canaveral Port Authority Board of Commissioners agenda packet, October 28, 2026, read October 29, 2026: items 5.A, 5.B and 5.C with staff summaries, the 4th Amendment to Development Agreement and its Exhibit H Master Timeline.
When does the Port Canaveral aquarium open?
Not later than March 1, 2030 under the Master Timeline in the 4th amendment, with construction complete by October 31, 2029.
When do the Cape Marina leases expire?
December 31, 2026. The New Marina site is under three leases with Cape Marine Services, Inc. that expire that day, per the Port's October 28 staff summary for item 5.A.
Written by Cassandra Hartford, founder and CEO of Reach Commercial Real Estate. She has worked in Brevard County commercial real estate for 17 years, representing buyers, sellers, landlords, and tenants across Florida's Space Coast.
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