More than 130 public and private grant requests have failed to turn up about $6 million needed to build a new facility for the Museum of Man in the Sea. Plans for a 50,000-square-foot building at a new site will remain on the shelf unless financial support can be found. The collection includes a variety of diving suits and other gear, mini-submarines and the Navy's first undersea laboratory and deep-sea diving bell.
The museum's best hope may be a $2 million grant that U.S. Sen. Bob
Graham is seeking from the federal Department of Education. Some private donors have pledged support if their contributions are
matched by other funding, but state aid for cultural projects has
evaporated due to budget cuts.
The new facility, if built, would rank as one of the world's most
sophisticated diving museums. It would include an IMAX theater, lecture
hall, archives, library and Internet information center and plenty of
space for its collection.
Man in the Sea Museum
17314 Panama City Beach Parkway
Panama City Beach, Fl 32413
Source: AP News
Lack of cash may sink diving museum