Gabrielle Russon
Legoland Florida’s newest expansion is going to play a role in global conservation, company leaders said.
The SeaLife Florida Aquarium that opened this Summer inside Legoland’s gates will be joining the company’s effort to restore coral and other missions.
Employees from the Winter Haven aquarium will be participating in coral restoration dives in the Florida Keys with other teams from the company’s attractions.
“Those are things that we’re really excited to become more involved in as we open and get settled and have more time to do such exciting work,” said Marie Collins, head of conservation, welfare and education for SeaLife North America, during a recent Florida Politics interview.
“Coral bleaching, due to the elevated temperatures in the ocean, have caused major mortality in corals. And over the past few years, we’ve been able to take corals that were either being held in facilities on land or deeper in the ocean, and they were able to replant those corals and other areas in the Keys,” Collins added. “So we’ve helped clean them, maintain them, help build them up.”
SeaLife Florida and Legoland are run by Merlin Entertainments, the British company that’s become the third-biggest attractions company in the world, according to one industry report.
Merlin employees collectively spent about 38,000 hours on conservation and wildlife rehabilitation, Collins said.
“In 2024 we had over 100 conservation projects that were actively going on throughout our company,” Collins said. “We’re working on rescuing 640 animals, a variety of marine and freshwater fish, turtles, seals, corals.”
Much of the coral restoration will be behind the scenes, so the public can’t see it right now at the Winter Haven aquarium. But exclusive tours could come in the future, Collins said.
What is on display are more than 3,000 animals, with jellyfish, sea horses and an octopus being among the crowd-pleasers on a recent visit.
“All the animals were from sustainable populations,” Collins said.
The company has dubbed the new aquarium as the “first theme park under the sea.” You can see roller coasters made out of coral reefs, a haunted house and a Ferris wheel decorated in the animal habitats.
Collins acknowledged how important the new aquarium, indoor and air conditioned, is for the park given Florida’s Summer elements of humidity and afternoon rainstorms.
The aquarium visit can be bundled with admission to Legoland and other attractions for an additional $15 or sold as a standalone ticket for $25.
