National Park Service ~ Everglades City, FL ~ 20.6 acres ~ Construction $47,154,801
ST JOHN Principal Ed Setzler served as AE Project Director for the design, master planning, permitting, and coastal engineering for the expansion of the Gulf Coast Campus of the Everglades National Park, a site globally recognized to be the premier launching point for back-country kayak expeditions through the Everglades. The design consisted of a new visitor center built with hardened hurricane resiliency features and expanded marina infrastructure to support an optimal visitor experience, accounting for 50-75 years of modeled sea level rise. Full AE design included a new elevated visitor center with law enforcement headquarters, staff offices, concession desk, retail space, and shaded outdoor veranda with views of the Chokoloskee Bay. Additional spaces included ground-level interpretive exhibits, public restrooms, vending and picnic area, vehicle drop-off, large group gathering areas, custom hardscapes, and walking trails. Expanded site infrastructure include a kayak and backcountry equipment rental facility, boat ramp, kayak launch, expanded marina footprint, law enforcement docks, watercraft fuel point, utility infrastructure, sustainable parking, new roadway alignment, channel and marina dredging, and the replacement of a failing seawall with a living shoreline of indigenous mangroves.