The rays have returned to Tampa Electric’s award-winning Manatee Viewing Center.
The cownose rays have been a favorite feature at the Manatee Viewing Center since 2016, offering guests a hands-on opportunity to connect with marine life. In 2024, the rays’ touch tank was damaged by hurricanes Helene and Milton.
Extensive repairs were recently completed to the 8,300-gallon habitat. Seven cownose rays have returned from The Florida Aquarium, and the habitat has reopened to the public.
“We are happy to welcome the rays back home to the Manatee Viewing Center,” said Stan Kroh, manager of Land and Stewardship Programs for Tampa Electric. “Along with the manatees, they are beloved ambassadors of Tampa Electric’s environmental stewardship.”
In addition to restoring the rays’ touch tank, Tampa Electric has installed two new state-of-the-art webcams, allowing customers a better view of the manatees in the canal – from the comfort of their homes. Here is the east camera, and here is the west camera.
The Manatee Viewing Center is the anchor attraction of Tampa Electric’s Florida Conservation and Technology Center (FCTC), a 500-acre campus in Apollo Beach, adjacent to the company’s Big Bend Power Station. The campus is home to a number of partners whose important research and educational outreach support and conserve Florida’s unique ecosystem. In addition to Tampa Electric, the partners include The Florida Aquarium, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) and the University of Florida.
Since the early 1970s, manatees have sought cold-water refuge in the clean, warm water canal of Tampa Electric’s Big Bend Power Station whenever Tampa Bay’s temperature drops to 68 degrees or below. Sometimes, hundreds gather in this state and federally designated manatee sanctuary. Guests also can hike the nature trail and take in the vistas from the 50-foot observation tower.
Each year, the center draws nearly 500,000 visitors – for a total of more than 7 million to date. Admission and parking at the Apollo Beach facility are free. And the boardwalks are compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act for guests’ convenience.
The Manatee Viewing Center welcomes visitors from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day from Nov. 1 through April 15, except Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter, when it is closed. On Christmas Eve, the facility closes early at 3 p.m. 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 about 870,000 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.
