Manatee Viewing Center opens in Apollo Beach for the season
APOLLO BEACH, Fla. - They’re back! As the temperatures begin to drop, manatees start making their way to warmer waters and are gathering at Tampa Electric’s Big Bend Power Station in Apollo Beach.
The Manatee Viewing Center is located at 6990 Dickman Rd., Apollo Beach, and is open daily from November 1 - April 15, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
A new viewing platform will open on November 15.
The manatees have gathered in the discharge canal of Tampa Electric’s Big Bend Power Station, to find refuge from the cold since the early 1970s.
When the water temperature of Tampa Bay is 68 degrees or colder, the manatees flock to the warm water discharge canal of Tampa Electric’s Big Bend Power Station.
Sometimes hundreds of manatees can be found huddled together.
FILE: Manatees at Apollo Beach
The Big Bend Power Station in Apollo Beach circulates water from Tampa Bay for cooling, then sends the water flowing clean and warm back into the bay.
TECO says approximately 400,000 people visit the Manatee Viewing Center each year.
Click here for more information.