There’s change ahead for the Gumbo Limbo Nature Center in Boca Raton.
The 20 acre oceanside fixture which offers visitors a raised boardwalk, tower, aquariums and the Florida Atlantic University Marine Research Center will no longer have a turtle rehabilitation facility.
The nonprofit The Coastal Stewards, which has operated the turtle rehabilitation program for decades, announced it was shut down last Friday because of financial trouble. The gift shop was also closed.
The move does not affect any other part of Gumbo Limbo, manager Leanne Welch said.
The nature center received more than 200,000 visitors a year, most from South Florida.
There are 13 injured turtles being treated at the rehabilitation facility and Welch said treatment will continue. There is no timeline when the injured turtles may be moved. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission will decide where they are sent. Some may be transferred to Zoo Miami.
The manager of Zoo Miami’s turtle program said they have two tanks currently occupied but they have worked with Gumbo Limbo before. Other possible locations for transfer are in Juno beach and Marathon.
