A subsidiary of Los Angeles-based contractor Tutor Perini has landed a $47 million contract to build a new visitor center in Everglades National Park in Florida, the firm announced Sept. 19.
Perini Management Services won the fixed-price, design-bid-build contract to construct the Marjory Stoneman Douglas Visitor Center in Everglades City, Florida. The project includes a new two-story visitor center, a concessions and storage building, underground utilities and major site improvements.
Environmental considerations and the future impacts of climate change played large in the design of the project, which sits at Florida’s southern tip in a hurricane-prone area.
According to Atlanta-based PES Structural Engineers, which provided structural design for the project sited on Chokoloskee Bay, the 4,800-square-foot building will be built to withstand 175-mph winds and a 15-foot storm surge. The scope of work also includes demolishing and replacing portions of bulkheads at the onsite marina, building a new bulkhead along the waterfront and installing a new floating dock system with accessible ramps.
Tutor Perini said the substantial sitework will ensure that the roads and parking areas are elevated above king tide levels, which typically occur during new or full moon phases.
Preconstruction activities are currently underway, with substantial completion anticipated in August 2025.