When Andrew Baker looks out at the vacant lot next to his office on Virginia Key, he doesn’t see the trees or grass that are there now. He sees a factory of the future. One story tall, roughly the size of half a football field. A high-efficiency production line designed not for electronics or auto parts — but for coral.

Such a facility would be unprecedented leap forward in reef restoration. Within four or five years, it could be up and running, as most of the necessary scientific foundation has already been developed and the work force is already being trained. With the help of automation, robots, and IVF-style breeding, it could produce hundreds of thousands of selectively bred specimens a year to help construct living reefs resistant to the rising temperatures killing off corals across

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