The lighthouse-inspired building on Cunningham Key resembles an enlarged Port Boca Grande Lighthouse. Its apparent lantern is actually an atrium within Tampa Bay Watch’s environmental education facility.
Tampa Bay Watch constructed the marine center to support habitat restoration, education, and stewardship of the Tampa Bay estuary. The building entered service in 2005, and the Coast Guard installed an optic classified as a private aid to navigation.
Access is tied to Tampa Bay Watch programs, events, and facility policies. The atrium is not reached by a traditional lighthouse stair, and there is no public tower-climbing program.
The building remains an environmental education center and active private aid to navigation. Tampa Bay Watch operates the facility, while the Coast Guard maintains the light.
