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Historic Building

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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Eric Hovland

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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Mangroves

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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Guests at Stingray Beach

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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Washed Ashore Exhibit

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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Red Fish

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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Rita Coley

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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Beads found in water

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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