Good news today for those who enjoy the Florida Aquarium; the beloved Channelside aquatic museum has just reached the halfway point in a $15 million fundraising effort to build a new educational center at the aquarium.

The effort is called The Rising Tides Campaign and was kicked off with a $2.5 million donation, the largest in the Florida Aquarium's history, from the Mosaic Phosphate Company late last year.

Bolstered by a $1 million donation from a couple that helped found the Publix supermarket chain, Carol and Barney Barnett, and another $1.5 million anonymous donation after that, the Florida Aquarium is now well on its way to the expansion it hopes for.

The expansion will add about 100,000 square feet of space on top of the Florida Aquarium's already-existing structure.

Features of the expansion will include a state of the art education center with five innovative classrooms and a theater in the round, a new exhibit hall for travelling exhibits, a new gallery called Lookout Lodge, and more.

Located in Channelside, The Florida Aquarium has been a mainstay attraction for local and visiting Tampa families for over 15 years now.  The expansion would expand the size of the aquarium about 20 percent once completed.