Mote Marine Laboratory Inc

“The president/ceo is a voting board member. When issues arise that may cause a conflict of interest, he recuses himself.”

“The form 990 is prepared by an outside accounting firm with information from the annual audit and senior management. The final form 990 is reviewed by the ceo and cfo. Prior to filing, form 990 is signed by the ceo and provided to the board of trustees.”

“Trustees, officers and key employees are required to disclose annually interests that could give rise to conflicts of interest. A conflict of interest policy and disclosure statement is distributed at the annual board meeting or other times as needed. All signed disclosures are collected with a follow up until returned. They are reviewed by the president or cfo and brought to the audit committee if needed for determination.”

“The compensation for the ceo is determined by the ceo evaluation/compensation committee. The committee bases their decision on compensation data from comparable institutions and a comprehensive written summary of activities by the ceo. The compensation for the cfo is determined by the ceo after a board approved budget rate of increase. All deliberation and decisions are contemporaneously substantiated.”

“The governing documents including the articles of incorporation and by-laws, the conflict of interest policy, the form 990 and the annual audited financial statements are available upon request. The annual audited financial statement and form 990 public copy are also available on www.mote.org.”

“Volunteers worked in many program areas including in the aquarium, animal care, the sea turtle program, high school and college interns, advisory board, board of trustees, community service and research.”

“Research mote is an independent, nonprofit 501(c)3 marine research organization based in sarasota, florida, with seven total research and education locations from sarasota to key west. Mote has 27 diverse research programs working in our home community of southwest florida and in oceans around the world. Mote's mission is to advance marine and environmental science through world-class research, education and public outreach leading to new discoveries, revitalization and sustainability of earth's ocean resources and to a greater public understanding of our marine ecosystems. We emphasize conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity, healthy habitats and natural resources. Mote is one of the few independent marine labs in the world having a global impact. As such, we nurture the scientific innovation and flexibility needed to address the most pressing ocean issues of our time. Mote is also unique because we translate our scientific discoveries through a public aquarium and structured education programs. Our vision also includes positively impacting public policy by building a more ocean-literate society. Mote features a 10.5-acre campus on sarasota bay in sarasota, florida, the elizabeth moore international center for coral reef research & restoration on summerland key in the florida keys, the 200-acre mote aquaculture research park (map) in eastern sarasota county, coral nurseries in key largo and islamorada in the upper florida keys, and public coral reef exhibits in key west and islamorada. Mote's research staff of over 131 includes 43 doctoral-level scientists publishing numerous peer-reviewed studies per year and serving as ambassadors for marine science through speaking engagements, briefings, and presentations. Mote scientists advance the fields of shark and ray biology, behavior, ecology and conservation; harmful algal bloom dynamics and mitigation; coral reef research and restoration; marine mammal and sea turtle biology, population dynamics and rehabilitation; aquaculture systems research, development and education; studies of human disease using marine models; effects of human-made and natural toxic substances on organisms and the environment; studies of health of wild fisheries, improved fisheries monitoring, responsible and sustainable approaches to fisheries and fish farming technologies to inform the aquaculture industry; ocean technology development to better understand the health of our ecosystems; studies of bottom-dwelling organisms and more. In fy2024, mote launched the new florida seagrass restoration technology development initiative to develop, test and implement innovative, effective, cost-efficient and environmentally sustainable technologies and approaches for restoring coastal seagrass ecosystems. Mote's red tide mitigation & technology development at map, created to research, mitigate and educate the public about red tide conditions in the gulf of mexico, expanded to a nationwide harmful algae blooms (hab) program to test mitigation technologies in both salt and freshwater systems. In fy2024, 22 technologies for red tide mitigation and improved detection advanced to the field-testing stage with several in process of regulatory approval and/or examining field deployment options. To protect the living treasure of coral genetic diversity, mote created a unique, large-scale, land-based, living coral gene bank, (mote international coral gene bank) at mote's aquaculture park, originally for 1,650 corals of 14 species and nearly 2,000 genetic types of corals; in fy2024, these increased to over 3,000 corals of 37 species and over 7,000 coral genetic varieties; the largest single diverse collection in the world. Our gene bank vision began with a focus on corals endemic to florida and u.s. Jurisdictions of the caribbean, and has expanded to include coral genetic diversity from reefs around world. Construction continues to nearly double the capacity. In fy2024, over 26,000 corals were planted to resto”

“Aquarium mote marine aquarium in sarasota, florida, is the public education and outreach facility for mote marine laboratory and is dedicated to translating and transferring mote's cutting-edge science to the public. This rare combination of research and dedicated outreach make mote an international destination and a southwest florida gem. Open 365 days per year mote marine aquarium features hundreds of marine species from local to international ocean ecosystems which enhance public ocean literacy to support conservation and sustainable use of marine resources. In fy2024, visitors neared 400,000. Established in 1980, the aquarium has grown to feature several species of sharks and numerous species of bony fishes, sea turtles and terrapins; a florida watershed exhibit featuring native species including manatees, north american river otters, alligators, roseate spoonbills and a gopher tortoise; invertebrates including multiple species of reef-building corals, mollusks and crustaceans, and related displays of science, technology and conservation content. Mote aquarium biologists undertake multiple efforts to breed and raise marine organisms such as gobies and seahorses in-house, to help the public connect with these animals while lessening pressure on wild populations. Mote aquarium biologists lead narrated training sessions with resident animals to help visitors connect with ocean species and their care at the aquarium, along with mote marine laboratory's research. Mote aquarium features windows into working labs, offering a direct glimpse into the marine science at the heart of mote. Trained volunteer docents throughout the aquarium ensure that guests have an enjoyable, educational experience. Mote earned an autism friendly business designation from the center for autism and related disorders at the university of south florida due to specialized staff training to provide those with autism a welcoming environment. Mote also continued the advance ticketing with timed entry; initially established in response to covid and after discovering it significantly enhanced the visitor experience (including those with special needs). The aquarium's animal care and training programs enable research that would otherwise not be possible - most notably, sensory and temperature-related studies with resident manatee buffett, along with new resident lou, whose voluntary participation has allowed for multiple peer reviewed journal articles presenting knowledge to benefit conservation of the species in the wild. Mote marine laboratory & aquarium has been accredited by the association of zoos and aquariums (aza) since 2003, undergoing a rigorous inspection every five years. Accreditation ensures that mote has met and will continue to meet ever-rising standards in categories including animal care and welfare, veterinary programs, scientific advancement, conservation, education and safety. Mote has also been named one of the most research-productive aza members based on its high number of scientific publications. Mote aquarium provides a unique venue for educational events for children, families and life-long learners, and for limited-time exhibits that refresh and enrich visitors' learning experiences. 10,000 mote members stay connected through mote aquarium and help to support multiple facets of mote's mission. In late september, 2024, hurricane helene drove a historic and devastating storm surge into the mote aquarium facilities and surrounding research labs & offices, prompting closure until animal safety could be assured and repairs could be made. This was further exacerbated by additional damage wrought by hurricane milton in october of the next fiscal year. All mote staff from aquarium, research, education & other departments stepped up to minimize and mitigate the damages to all city island facilities to enable it's safe reopening to the public in late november. Throughout fy2024, construction continued on the new mote science education aquarium”

“Education mote marine laboratory's commitment to sharing ocean literacy begins with pre-k children and extends to people of all ages and societal backgrounds. Mote operates more than 50 stem (science, technology, engineering and math) education and outreach programs, including in-school programs and field trips, public programs throughout the year, year-round camps, community outreach programs that reach students historically underrepresented in science, teacher professional development workshops, digital learning programs that reach audiences far and wide, adult lifelong learning courses, educational events such as lectures and science cafes, scout programs, homeschool programs and more. In fy2024, mote's education programs reached nearly 67,000 people. Mote programs are designed to instill essential stem concepts, help participants discover careers in marine science and better understand ocean ecosystems, the scientific method, conservation issues, ocean technology, the importance of environmental stewardship and other key concepts. Mote leads the multi-partner louis stokes alliance for minority participation (lsamp): marine science laboratory alliance center of excellence (marsci-lace) which was founded through a national science foundation (nsf) grant to mote, the only non-academic institution to receive an lsamp center of excellence award. It is co-funded by the nsf inclusion across the nation of communities of learners of underrepresented discoverers in engineering and science (nsf includes) initiative. This initiative has investigated and demonstrated how marine research internships with specially trained mentors and support systems can keep students on the path to stem careers. Mote offers a wide variety of college internships, including the highly competitive, nsf-funded research experiences for undergraduates, which allow undergraduate students to conduct scientific research under the mentorship of a ph.d.-level mote scientist. Mote awarded 156 undergraduate & graduate scholarships & internships in fy2024. Mote's education team oversees over 1,500 trained volunteers who help to advance mote's mission by assisting scientists and educators, serving as docents on the mote aquarium floor, contributing to mote's hospitals for mammals and sea turtles, and providing a number of supporting services to other areas of the lab and aquarium. In fy2024, 73 high schoolers participated in the teen volunteer program which provides students with an opportunity to volunteer during the school year and engage with visitors throughout the aquarium and assist with education programs, whiled 84 high schoolers participated in mote's summer volunteer program. Mote educators work closely with schools throughout their region, helping students connect with mote scientists directly - for example, through sustainable fishing clinics and hands-on collaboration with mote's fish-farming scientists. Mote educators continually create a wealth of new and innovative virtual learning programs and digital content that enable k-12 teachers and students to interact and learn remotely. In fy2024, the popularity of these programs and platforms indicated continuing growth and investment in flexible learning environments and experiences. Mote educators are active in the florida marine science educators association, the national science teachers association, the association of zoos and aquariums and other professional organizations that inform and inspire our efforts to translate and transfer mote science to the public. In fy2024, mote's education team has been actively designing three stem teaching labs and five stem workforce training labs to be housed in the new mote science education aquarium (mote sea), anticipated to open 3rd quarter 2025.”

“Change in beneficial interest in net assets of mote marine foundation, inc. -2,157,258.”

“There has been no change in the audit review process from the prior year.”