Add Hillsborough County Commissioners to the ever-growing list of fans of Tampa Electric’s Manatee Viewing Center. When they honored the center with a special commendation to celebrate its 30th anniversary season, they were highlighting something 5 million people from around the world have come to know since 1986: it’s a place like no other.
And while the manatees themselves may not be quite as vocal about their love for the Manatee Viewing Center, the fact that they arrive by the hundreds when Tampa Bay water temperature falls below 68 degrees Fahrenheit nevertheless suggests a certain enthusiasm.
“We’re proud to be recognized by the Hillsborough County Commission for decades of work by many people at TECO, joined by many volunteers, to strike a balance between working to elevate the importance of environmental stewardship while making environmental education fun for people of all ages,” said Paul Carpinone, director of Environmental, Health & Safety (EHS) with Tampa Electric.
The ADA-compliant center features boardwalks, butterfly gardens, games, videos and vibrant displays. The South Shore Café offers snacks and great views over the clean, warm water discharge canal of Big Bend Power Station and the main attraction: the manatees, joined by many varieties of fish, that swim close to their throngs of admirers.
This year, the center offers more than ever to see and do, including a rays touch tank opening later in December for visitors to safely and gently run their fingers over these unique creatures – ones that are doubly unique, you might say, because they spend baseball season in at Tropicana Field. (Yes, it’s those rays.)
“The rays tank is another great upgrade we’re excited to offer the public – it’s another incredible way we’re partnering with the Florida Aquarium, which installed and maintains it,” said Stan Kroh, manager of Land and Stewardship Programs with EHS. “The Manatee Viewing Center gets better each year, but I don’t think that’s ever been more true than it is this year.”
And as if what’s happening at the Manatee Viewing Center wasn’t enough, the adjacent Florida Conservation and Technology Center – another way we’re partnering with the Florida Aquarium along with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission – is growing too with classroom space, laboratories and other facilities rising just south of the center. Connecting them will be a system of trails that for the time being take Manatee Viewing Center visitors to a 50-foot observation tower with spectacular views of the area.
“Everywhere you look at the Manatee Viewing Center, there’s something to be excited about,” Kroh said. “Those of us who have had the chance to see it flourish into what it is today are amazed – and we’re proud to work for a company committed to environmental stewardship of this scope.”
He added, “The ones I’m most excited for are the visitors who are coming here for the first time – they’re the ones who are the most amazed of all.”
Tampa Electric’s Manatee Viewing Center offers free parking and admission. We’re open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily (the wildlife observation tower and habitat trails close at 4 p.m. daily). Check our website for additional information about our schedule and facilities.
No Comments Found