SARASOTA (WSNN) – Marie Selby Botanical Gardens is receiving $600,000 dollars from the state’s new budget.
And it’s all to support the garden’s efforts in housing world-class scientific collections in hurricane-resilient facilities.
President and CEO JenniferRominiecki says right now orchids and other plants are on the ground in flood zones in aging infrastructure of 45 years.
And Rominiecki says she’s thankful to Senator Joe Gruters and Governor Ron DeSantis for helping protect those collections.
“I know there are so many challenges going on for everyone right now, but unfortunately, yet another hurricane season is approaching, and because we have the world’s best scientifically collected documents in their area, we really need to safeguard them for the future,” Rominiecki said,
She says they’re also making sustainability a major component of its master plan.
They’re planning to become the first “net-positive” botanical garden complex in the world, using solar panels designed to power the entire downtown Sarasota campus.
The goal is to generate more energy than they consume. Rominiecki says they’ll be an international model for best practices and sustainability.