MADEIRA BEACH, Fla. — Two weeks after a fire ripped through the Alligator & Wildlife Discovery Center in John’s Pass, the facility’s co-owner says well more than 1,000 people have reached out asking how they can help.
Local businesses are putting on different fundraising events in order to help the center. The first will be July 28 at 6 p.m. in John’s Pass Village as a part of their Final Friday. Proceeds from the block-party-style event and pub crawl will go towards the Alligator & Wildlife Discovery Center and other surrounding businesses affected by the fire.
Co-owner Sonny Flynn says for the past two weeks, they have been working with several insurance companies to try to figure out the best course of action.
This is what’s left of the Alligator & Wildlife Discovery Center in John’s Pass.
— Angie Angers (@angie_angers) July 28, 2023
The owner says her staff is caring for the roughly 100 animals that survived at a temporary facility. Proceeds from ‘Final Friday’ tonight will help those impacted by the fire @BN9 pic.twitter.com/J2iIjhRrZd
In the meantime, the more than 100 surviving animals were moved to a temporary facility where they are being cared for by the center’s staff members.
Flynn says her priority right now is keeping her animals safe and cared for, and her staff members employed.
“It’ll be a process but I’m still moving forward,” Flynn said. “Sometimes I feel like I’m taking one step forward and two steps back, but it’s a big thing. It’s a devastating, horrible thing that happened and we’re just going to fix it.”
Out of the 250 animals that were cared for at the Alligator & Wildlife Discovery Center, roughly 130 survived the fire. Many of the animals were moved to a temporary facility while Flynn and her team work to make habitats for them at their second rescue location in Clearwater, Sunny Green Acres. The surviving animals include bearded dragons, geckos, spiny-tailed iguanas, four birds and an albino alligator.
Here’s where many of the surviving animals from the Alligator & Wildlife Center fire are living for now. The owner says her staff is caring for them in a temporary facility.
— Angie Angers (@angie_angers) July 28, 2023
@CMAquarium took in the turtles while the rest of the 100 or so animals are here @BN9 pic.twitter.com/LAkKDCTcuS
The aquatic turtles and corals are now being cared for at Clearwater Marine Aquarium.
Flynn says she’s so thankful for everyone who has reached out asking to help over the last two weeks. She says she has received more than 1,000 inquiries from people as far as Canada and Ireland.
The cause of the fire has not yet been determined. Detectives with the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office say it does not appear to be suspicious.