Tampa Electric's Manatee Viewing Center Reopens for Season on Friday,...

Tampa Electric's award-winning Manatee Viewing Center opens Friday for the season.

"Even after two devastating hurricanes, we recovered sufficiently to open for our guests this season - right on time," said Stan Kroh, manager of Land and Stewardship Programs for Tampa Electric. "We're ready to welcome manatees to our warm waters, as well as the thousands of guests who come to see them in the wild each year."

The Manatee Viewing Center is the anchor attraction for the Florida Conservation and Technology Center (FCTC), which is a public-private partnership to feature both nature and technology. Tampa Electric provides the campus to its environmental partners for their important research and educational outreach. In addition to Tampa Electric, the partners include The Florida Aquarium, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) and the University of Florida.

The manatees have gathered in the canal to find refuge from the cold since the early 1970s. When the water temperature of Tampa Bay is 68 degrees or colder, manatees gather in the clean, warm water discharge canal of Tampa Electric's Big Bend Power Station, sometimes by the hundreds. About 190 manatees have been documented visiting the Manatee Viewing Center's canal for more than 20 years - one has returned for a record 42 years!

Guests can hike the nature trail and take in the vistas from the 50-foot observation tower. After Thanksgiving, visitors also can meet the rays, critical animals that rely on a healthy Tampa Bay ecosystem - and even touch them gently as they glide past in the touch tank.

Each season, the center draws nearly 400,000 visitors - for a total of more than 7 million. Admission and parking at the Apollo Beach facility are free. And the boardwalks are compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act for our guests' convenience. Contributions are welcomed and will directly support protecting manatees, preserving their habitats and educating the public.

The Manatee Viewing Center's regular hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day from Nov. 1 through April 15, except Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter, when it is closed. (The facility closes at 3 p.m. on Christmas Eve.) Comfortable shoes and clothing are recommended. Please note that no pets are allowed, only trained service animals.

Visit the center online at TampaElectric.com/Manatee or call 813-228-4289 for more information.

Tampa Electric, one of Florida's largest investor-owned electric utilities, serves more than 840,000 customers in West Central Florida. Tampa Electric is a subsidiary of Emera Inc., a geographically diverse energy and services company headquartered in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.