Courtesy of Orange Audubon
Key Points
- Orange County approved $12 million from tourist development tax funds for the Orange Audubon Natural History Museum at Apopka Birding Park.
- The museum will be built on 69.5 acres of former nursery land adjacent to Lake Apopka and aims to promote wildlife conservation and education.
- If funded by early 2027, the museum plans to open later that year and may host an expo during the December North Shore Birding Festival.
The Orange County Board of County Commissioners voted 6-1 on Monday to approve a tourist development tax funding plan that includes $12 million for the Orange Audubon Natural History Museum at Apopka Birding Park.
The allocation, reduced from Orange Audubon’s original $20 million request, would provide $3 million annually over four years. The funding is part of a broader county initiative supporting tourism-related projects throughout Orange County.
The funding would allow Orange Audubon to expand the museum’s design and, with donors’ permission, use existing savings for operations, educational programs and habitat restoration, according to an October news release from the organization. Orange Audubon launched a fundraising campaign in February to help finance the project.
“We are creating a place where wildlife can thrive and where people of all ages can experience and participate in conservation,” Orange Audubon President Deborah Green said in the release.
The proposed museum would be developed at the 69.5-acre Apopka Birding Park, a former greenhouse nursery property adjacent to Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive.
According to a letter Apopka Mayor Nick Nesta submitted in support of the project, the St. Johns River Water Management District transferred the property to the city in 2018 in exchange for five acres. Apopka granted Orange Audubon a long-term lease in 2024 for nature-based recreation and education.
During public comments at the county work session, Nesta highlighted the city’s partnership with Orange Audubon and urged commissioners to recognize tourism opportunities beyond Orlando’s traditional tourism corridor.
“City of Apopka is partnering [with] and promoting one of our Orange Audubon parks that’s going on there, so we really think these smaller municipal projects really do have a longing impression,” Nesta said. “It may not be one of the bigger projects, but we do have a lot of stuff that’s going on especially in Apopka and some of the other smaller municipalities.”
Orange Audubon has begun restoring the property, with volunteers contributing approximately 500 hours and working group members another 2,200 hours. More than 122 bird species have been recorded at the park, according to the organization.
If funding is secured in early 2027, Orange Audubon anticipates opening the museum later that year, potentially hosting an expo during its North Shore Birding Festival in December 2027.
Commissioner Mike Crabb proposed alternative tourist development tax allocations that also included $12 million for Orange Audubon, but his amendments failed to receive a second.
Commissioners approved the overall funding plan after reducing the proposed Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts allocation from $400 million to $350 million.
Additional approvals remain necessary. According to Orange Audubon, the Tourist Development Council is scheduled to consider the projects Nov. 6, followed by a Dec. 1 county commission meeting. Individual funding agreements also require commission approval before funding can be finalized.