St. Augustine Aquarium

Shawn and Kathy Hiester have been passionate about marine biology since they were kids and are thrilled to share that passion with their community through a viable and sustainable public aquarium. Shawn and Kathy spent two years traveling the country to tour aquariums and meet the dedicated people who make them work. They also assembled a team of experts to not just build a business, but to use the aquarium as a vehicle for research, education and thoughtful discussion about the state of Florida's marine habitats. They established relationships with marine research universities and organizations in support of their mission: marine conservation through education. When people see and understand these incredible creatures, they will realize how critically important it is to protect them.