Stan Kroh–whose broad scope of duties at Tampa Electric Company includes overseeing the company’s Manatee Viewing Center in Apollo Beach, spanning the 26 years he’s worked there—describes the history of the Viewing Center, which is approaching its 40th anniversary.
Kroh charts the evolution of the Manatee Viewing Center, from the earliest days, when the Big Bend Power Station began discharging warm water—which attracted manatees, in turn attracting human viewers peering through the fence—right up through the lavish observatory deck and amenities that currently occupy that space.
He proudly notes that across the entire four decades of the Viewing Center’s existence, it’s been free to get in, and free to park. These serve as just one example of the myriad ways Tampa Electric Company has demonstrated a deep, longstanding commitment to manatees, and to the public who want to see and learn about these benign creatures. Kroh says they welcome some 500,000 visitors in a given season. (The Power Station’s discharge canal is a state and federally-designated sanctuary.)…