In April, a crew spent about four hours lifting two aquariums, together weighing more than 2,000 pounds, to the second floor of the new nature center at Riverview Road and the Intracoastal. At the time, the opening was expected in late summer. Summer has come and gone, and the Museum of Discovery and Science now lists the MODS Deerfield Beach Nature Center as "Opening in 2027."
The building's interior is not what slowed things down. According to Deerfield Beach Community Redevelopment Agency records, the problems sit at the edges of the project: a utility transformer in the wrong spot, a railing on the terrace stairs, and water coming in from the park next door. Each one has to be fixed before the city can hand the building to MODS.
The opening date has moved four times
The center has been a moving target since the groundbreaking on September 21, 2024. Here is how the published opening estimate has changed:
| Source | When it was published | Opening target |
|---|---|---|
| MODS partnership announcement | November 2024 | Summer 2026 |
| New Pelican, aquarium installation | April 22, 2026 | Late summer |
| Boca Post, construction update | May 11, 2026 | Late fall 2026 |
| MODS exhibits page | Current | 2027 |
| CRA staff, August 11 board meeting | August 2026 | Mid- to late January |
In May, Boca Post noticed the gap between the project materials, which said late fall, and the partners' earlier promise of summer. The minutes from the CRA board's August meetings are the first public record that says why the dates kept moving.
Three problems on the site
The CRA's authorization to extend the architect's contract lists the reasons for the delay in plain terms:
- The FPL transformer. It was installed outside its utility easement and had to be dealt with.
- The stairs and terrace railing. The railing system needed a new design and a new installation.
- Drainage from Sullivan Park. Water from the park was getting into the site, and someone had to engineer a fix.
These are not exhibit problems. The mangrove tank, the reef tank and the rest of the interior work did not cause the slip. The trouble is where the building meets the power grid, the terrace and the park, and that is the work that decides when a building can get its certificate of occupancy.
The architect's contract shows how that played out. Bermello Ajamil's construction-administration agreement expired at the end of May. The CRA extended it from June 1 through September 30, 2026, so the firm could keep reviewing change orders and approving draw requests until the certificate of occupancy is issued. That extension runs out today.
What the CRA's schedule says now
At the August 11 CRA meeting, Commissioner Shanetzky asked for a date. CRA Executive Director Michael Chen said no grand opening had been set yet. He said staff expected to apply for the certificate of occupancy by the end of September, close out construction in October or November, and then have MODS take over operations and open the center in mid- to late January.
Chen also said the center will hold several soft openings before a single grand opening. MODS President and CEO Joseph Cox is expected to give the board a firmer schedule in October.
Two weeks later, on August 25, Chen said construction was moving forward. He expected a temporary certificate of occupancy in late September and financial closeout sometime in fiscal year 2027. He also said the capital plan includes about $350,000 for possible change orders on the nature center, and that final costs would come back to the board once the contractor submits its closing information.
As of today, September 30, we have found no public record that the temporary certificate has been issued. The January date is a staff projection. The next solid marker is Cox's report to the board in October.
The budget that takes effect tomorrow
The city's fiscal year 2027 starts October 1, and the CRA budget for it was adopted on second reading on September 14. It assumes the center opens during the year. Several lines cover the nature center:
- $1.5 million in construction for the MODS Deerfield Beach Nature Center, which the budget notes was formerly called the Sawgrass to Seagrass center
- $250,000 for programming, listed as the "year two contribution to programming at Marine Science Center at Sullivan Park"
- $40,000 for a Marine Science Center grand opening, in the same activations line as the 4th of July celebration, the December holiday celebration and the boat parade
The "year two" wording matters. The CRA is already in its second budget year of programming support for a building that has not opened. The grand-opening money now sits in the same line as the city's annual celebrations, and that line covers October 2026 through September 2027.
What's already waiting inside
Here is what visitors will find once MODS opens the doors, based on what has already been installed or announced.
The 10,000-square-foot facility is built around hands-on exhibits under the "Sawgrass to Seagrass" theme. They cover the connected ecosystems of South Florida, including wetlands, seagrass, water quality, wildlife habitat and climate resilience. The CRA is paying for design and construction, and MODS is handling exhibit design, educational programming and visitor experience.
The two aquariums lifted in this spring frame the visit. MODS spokesperson Andi Fuentes described both:
- The mangrove habitat will be one of the first exhibits visitors see. It is eight feet long and four feet wide, holds 1,100 gallons and can be viewed from three sides. It will hold fish and invertebrates from the Intracoastal, including porkfish, checkered pufferfish and mangrove snapper.
- The nearshore reef tank sits near the exit. It is eight feet across and built around a pier piling covered in corals, algae and mollusks, with reef species such as Spanish hogfish, reef butterflyfish and beaugregory, a small damselfish.
The city and MODS split the $20,000 cost of the two tanks, according to City Commissioner Tom Plaut. The tanks are part of a $2.1 million exhibit package. The mangrove tank holds species from the Intracoastal, the same water the building faces.
The exterior may get artwork too. In February, the CRA approved $4,200 to install Guy Harvey-designed murals on two exterior walls of the elevator shaft. The murals still needed final approval from the Public Art Advisory Board.
Around Sullivan Park in the meantime
The rest of Sullivan Park is also on hold for now. The splash pad at 1633 Riverview Road closed for maintenance on August 11 and is closed until further notice, according to the city. The same park is also the source of the drainage problem on the nature center's punch list.
More CRA work is planned close by. The fiscal 2027 budget includes $1 million for construction and $100,000 for design on new lighting and landscaping at the Cove Shopping Center. It also includes $130,000 for pedestrian lighting and crosswalks on the S-Curve. At the August 11 meeting, Chen said the CRA is interested in connecting the S-Curve to the nature center. Our earlier post on the Cove's Saturday farmers market covers the shopping center that the CRA's Sullivan Park work is tied to.
The next update to watch for is MODS's schedule at the CRA's October meeting. After that, the soft openings Chen described will come before the grand opening.
The Nelson-Putzig Team keeps track of Intracoastal projects like the Sullivan Park nature center. If you have questions about the Riverview Road area or the Deerfield Beach waterfront, The Nelson-Putzig Team is glad to share what we are seeing. Talk to an Expert.
