The St. Augustine Aquarium and Botanical Gardens will be an exciting new community amenity and sustainable Northeast Florida aquarium attraction, scheduled to open in 2015.

Shawn and Kathy Hiester announced Wednesday that they had purchased a 5-acre site for their new St. Augustine Aquarium, Snorkel Adventure and Zip Line project. The Aquarium will be located at 2045 State Road 16 in St. Augustine, just east of Interstate 95. 

Guests will be able to observe Sand Tiger, Bonnethead and Blacknose sharks, as well as an array of mesmerizing fish, eels and rays. The project will be constructed in two phases, culminating in a 250,000 gallon, 43,000-square-foot facility.