Florida Power & Light’s New Manatee Center Opens February 2016!
Artist Painting of new Manatee Center at Riviera Beach Photo Courtesy of Florida Power & Light Company
Great news! Florida Power and Light Company’s Manatee Observation Center is slated to open its doors in February 2016! The building’s new 50-foot cupola was just secured to its roof. The 2-story center will be cover 16,000 square feet and it will cost $4.832 million.
Visitors will enjoy an “Old-Florida” style-viewing center with free admission! The manatees can be observed in the Lake Worth Lagoon as warm water is discharged from the Florida Power and Light Company’s electric generators. Us manatees are warm-blooded. So in the winter when the water temperatures fall below 68 degrees Fahrenheit, we’ll gather in Florida’s naturally warm springs and also at Florida’s power plants because they discharge clean, warm water.
Manatees seen in the Lake Worth Lagoon by FPL’s Riviera Beach Facility in February Photo Courtesy of Rich Graulich The Palm Beach Post
The FPL’s Manatee Observation Center, located in Riviera Beach, will have interactive exhibits, on endangered manatees and also a state-of-the-art webcam to observe unique manatee behavior! You can also enjoy plenty of picnic areas and free parking! Mr. Jim Elsner, President of Black Diamond General Contracting, Incorporated said, “It’s a legacy project.”
Elaine Hinsdale, spokeswoman for Florida Power and Light explained the new center is slated to open in early 2016. It will then close as the manatee season ends in spring 2016. The center will then re-open as manatee season kicks off again in November 2016 and it will then remain open year-round. Hinsdale said the new center will have manatee-viewing areas located on both its first and second floors.
Young Song, President of Song and Associates, Incorporated, located in West Palm Beach, explained they came up with the manatee center’s Key West-style design after presenting Florida Power & Light’s management with several concepts. The new manatee-viewing center will have an aluminum roof along with “green architecture.” This means the building will be energy efficient.
Discover The Palm Beaches spokeswoman, Ashley Svarney explained the new Florida Power and Light’s Manatee Observation Center will be “an exciting destination for tourists to experience the area’s natural beauty.”[ So go ahead and make your travel plans to visit the new manatee observation center on your next vacation!
If you see any sick or injured manatees, please call the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission at: 1-888-404-FWCC. They are the folks who are responsible for rescuing us in Florida.
Here’s the Save the Manatee Club link to learn more about us manatees …
Here’s a cool link for you to learn more about how we’re rescued and brought into rehabilitation …
~ Kobee Manatee
