TECO Manatee Viewing Center gives front-row view of Florida wildlife
APOLLO BEACH, Fla. - After being closed for 18 months, the TECO Manatee Viewing Center is back open to the public for people to experience manatees up close and personal during those cold winter days.
"The TECO Manatee Viewing Center is definitely a unique place because you can experience a lot of Florida nature and wildlife in a very small amount of area," said Jamie Woodley, a senior environmental technician with TECO.
It used to be just a place where the locals would put their boats in but when the Big Bend four was built and the warm water started coming out, the manatees started coming in more often to take shelter in the cold winter days and the FWC closed it off and deemed it a sanctuary.
"The people came, they looked through the fence and we thought what better way to give back, and we opened the facility at that point," Woodley stated. "The facility is a place that brings all kinds of people from all over the world to visit. They can see manatees up close and personal. We’re only open during the winter months, so we got a lot of visitors and family and out of town and people from other countries here during that season. It’s a great place to come see manatees up close and in the wild."
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The center is a lot more than just manatees.
"We’ve had lots of sharks out here," Woodley explained. "We have lots of eagle rays that jump out of the water, spinner sharks that come out of the water and we even spotted a goliath grouper by the dock two days ago."
There’s also an education facility, a rays touch tank, lots of trails, a 900-foot tidal walk, where visitors can see other wildlife, a 50-foot viewing tower, a turtle hospital just south of the center, a clean energy center and all kinds of fun things to do other than just manatees.
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Closed for over a year, Manatee Viewing Center in Apollo Beach finally reopens
With cooler days ahead in Florida, those who are manatee fans can once again get a closer look at the beloved sea cows. Tampa Electric’s Manatee Viewing Center is finally reopening.
RELATED Closed for over a year, Manatee Viewing Center in Apollo Beach finally reopens
The turtle hospital was built a couple of years ago, but it wasn’t ready to be open to the public until now.
The center is celebrating its 35th season. The Manatee Viewing Center is open November 1 through April 15 from 10 a.m. -5 p.m.
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