Blog
January 11, 2021
25th Anniversary: Sandy Freedman
Former Tampa Mayor Sandy Freedman said some daring was required to find a home for The Florida Aquarium. She recalled: “It had originally been planned for Clearwater and then it proposed all over the place over here. It looked like…
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November 19, 2020
25th Anniversary: Eric Hovland’s Journey
As a young biologist with a lifelong passion for wildlife, Eric Hovland was thrilled to be hired in November 1994 at The Florida Aquarium, which was still under construction. “I had heard about this innovative new aquarium being built in…
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July 23, 2020
Mangroves | 25 Years in the Making
Walking through the Mangrove Tunnel at The Florida Aquarium’s Wetlands Trail exhibit, visitors couldn’t be blamed for believing the bizarre surroundings were sculpted for dramatic effect. Nicknamed the “walking tree,” the red mangrove’s tangled roots do indeed look as if…
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July 1, 2020
The Road to Reopening
In May, The Florida Aquarium became the first major attraction in the state, the first aquarium in the nation and the first cultural center in the Tampa Bay region to reopen after the coronavirus pandemic forced the closings of public…
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May 28, 2020
Washed Ashore – Now Extended Through October!
In blunt terms, the exhibit The Florida Aquarium chose to commemorate its 25th anniversary could be called a bunch of junk. But Aquarium President and CEO Roger Germann doesn’t see it that way and neither will those who visit “Washed Ashore:…
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March 2, 2020
Animal Migration – A Miraculous Journey
In Kenn Kaufman’s superb new book, “A Season On The Wind: Inside The World of Spring Migration,” the famed bird expert vividly describes the perilous journeys birds undertake. Consider the half-ounce blackpoll warbler. Kauffman writes, “In the space of a…
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February 11, 2020
25th Anniversary Blog: Staff Since the Beginning
As one of The Florida Aquarium’s original employees, Rita Coley had a “front row seat” for its opening. As The Aquarium evolved, so did her career. Now, 25 years later, she remains passionate about her work and surroundings. The housekeeping…
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January 24, 2020
Hold Onto Your Booty!
Few beads were thrown during the Gasparilla Parades of my youth. What was prized in the 1950s-60s, were the fake doubloons and used cartridges from the blank guns the pirates would fire into the air. To the amusement of our…
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