Campus Alert Archive
Mote Marine

Back-to-Back Hurricanes Kill Two Otters, Cause $13 Million in Damage at Mote Marine: Helene Floods, Milton Destroys the Roof

FLhurricaneadvisorymedium confidence
Confirmed Threat

In late September and early October 2024, Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium in Sarasota, Florida sustained an estimated $13 million in damage from back-to-back Hurricanes Helene and Milton, with Helene delivering flooding and Milton peeling back the roof. Staff successfully relocated two manatees, sea turtles, alligators, and birds to the Mote Aquaculture Research Park 13 miles inland, but two beloved river otters, Huck and Jane, died from stress-induced health complications during Hurricane Milton. The aquarium remained closed until November 22, 2024.

Alerts
3
Response
—
Killed
0
Injured
0
Institution
Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium
Private R2 · FL
~300 studentsMote Emergency Communications
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

3 messages in sequence

Some alert texts below are approximate reconstructions from news coverage, not confirmed verbatim transcripts. Reconstructed texts are shown in italic with a dashed border. Verified verbatim texts have a solid border and are marked accordingly.

INITIAL ALERTWebsite
Approximate reconstruction300 chars
Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium will be closed in preparation for Hurricane Helene. Staff are implementing emergency protocols to protect our animals and facilities. The safety of our team, our animals, and our visitors is our highest priority. Updates will be provided as the situation develops.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

Hurricane Helene made landfall near Perry, Florida on September 26-27, 2024 as a Category 4 storm; Mote's City Island campus in Sarasota Bay experienced significant water intrusion and flooding from storm surge
Staff boated to City Island the day after Helene's passage to check that bubblers were still functioning for animals that could not be transported, illustrating the unique post-storm welfare requirements of a live-animal marine research facility
Mote's Aquaculture Research Park, 13 miles inland, served as the emergency refuge for evacuated animals including two manatees, sea turtles, alligators, birds, and river otters
UPDATEWebsite
Approximate reconstruction388 chars
Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium is again preparing for a major hurricane threat. Hurricane Milton is forecast to make landfall in the Sarasota region. Despite impacts from Hurricane Helene just days ago, our team is implementing emergency protocols to protect all animals in our care. Most animals have been relocated to the Mote Aquaculture Research Park inland. Updates will follow.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

Hurricane Milton made landfall near Siesta Key on October 9-10, 2024, passing directly over Sarasota County; Mote's facilities were severely damaged when Milton's winds peeled back the main aquarium roof
The unprecedented back-to-back hurricane scenario -- with Milton arriving only 12 days after Helene -- meant Mote staff were managing storm preparation while still recovering from Helene's flooding damage
Despite every effort including medical intervention, river otters Huck and Jane could not survive the cumulative physiological stress from two major hurricanes; a third otter, Pippi, survived
FOLLOW-UPWebsite
Approximate reconstruction515 chars
Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium Damage Assessment: Hurricanes Helene and Milton have caused an estimated $13 million in damage to our facilities. We have lost two beloved North American River Otters, Huck and Jane, who passed away due to health complications from the stress of the back-to-back storms despite the best efforts of our veterinary team. All human staff are safe. The aquarium will remain closed until further notice. We are grateful to our partners and supporters as we begin the recovery process.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

The $13 million damage estimate included flooding to the City Island campus from Helene and extensive wind damage including roof loss from Milton, making the two-storm combination the most costly event in Mote's modern history
The deaths of Huck and Jane marked the first significant animal losses at Mote during a hurricane event; Mote's marine animal care team had successfully protected all animals in prior major storms including Hurricane Irma in 2017
State lawmakers from Sarasota County and the Florida legislature began discussing emergency recovery funding for Mote, which serves a dual role as a public-facing aquarium and a working marine research institution
Context

Background

Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium is a private, nonprofit marine research institution in Sarasota, Florida founded in 1955 by shark biologist Eugenie Clark. Its City Island campus on Sarasota Bay houses both research laboratories and a public aquarium, while its Mote Aquaculture Research Park 13 miles inland serves as its operational backup facility. In late September 2024, Hurricane Helene caused flooding at Mote's City Island and Anna Maria locations, requiring staff to boat to the island post-storm to maintain life-support systems for immovable animals. Before the facility could recover, Hurricane Milton made landfall near Siesta Key on October 9-10, severely damaging the roof and subjecting already-stressed animals to another hurricane-force event. River otters Huck and Jane, who had been at Mote for years and were beloved by aquarium visitors, died from stress-related health complications. The aquarium reopened November 22, 2024 -- nearly two months after Helene's landfall. This case represents a category of campus emergency unique to marine research and aquarium institutions: emergency animal evacuation, where success depends on advance relationships with partner facilities and on the physiological tolerance of marine animals to transport stress.
Analysis

Key Findings

The back-to-back hurricane scenario (Helene + Milton, 12 days apart) tested Mote's emergency protocols in a way that no single-storm plan can anticipate: equipment, staff, and animals all depleted by Helene before Milton arrived
Marine research institutions face a unique evacuation challenge: live animals cannot always be transported, so staff must remain accessible post-storm to maintain life support even when access requires boating to an island campus
The deaths of river otters Huck and Jane from cumulative hurricane stress highlight that successful physical evacuation does not guarantee animal welfare in extreme multi-storm scenarios
The $13 million total damage estimate reflects the vulnerability of coastal research institutions that cannot be physically relocated and face compounded losses when major storms occur in rapid succession
Outcome
No human injuries. Two resident river otters (Huck and Jane) died from hurricane-stress health complications. Estimated $13 million in damage. Closed for nearly two months.
Provenance

Sources

  1. Official
    Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium Responds to Hurricane Milton with Swift Action, Overcoming Challenges Amid Loss
    mote.org
  2. News
    Mote Marine assesses damage after back-to-back hurricanes, loss of two otters
    fox13news.com
  3. News
    Mote Marine Aquarium, closed until further notice
    mysuncoast.com
  4. News
    Mote Aquarium is reopening two months after sustaining severe hurricane damage
    wusf.org
  5. News
    Potentially up to $13 million worth of damage: Mote Marine assesses damages from hurricanes
    mysuncoast.com
Tags
hurricanemarine-laboratoryaquariumfloridasarasotahurricane-helenehurricane-miltonanimal-evacuationcoastal-campusback-to-back-storms
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion