Florida Senate - 2020                            (NP)    SR 1920
       
       
        
       By Senator Cruz
       
       
       
       
       
       18-02483A-20                                          20201920__
    1                          Senate Resolution                        
    2         A resolution recognizing the 25th anniversary of The
    3         Florida Aquarium on February 25, 2020.
    4  
    5         WHEREAS, The Florida Aquarium celebrates its 25th
    6  anniversary this year, and
    7         WHEREAS, since first opening to the public on March 31,
    8  1995, in Tampa, The Florida Aquarium has welcomed more than 16.5
    9  million visitors, and its educational programs have served 1.5
   10  million students, many of whom might otherwise never have had
   11  access to an aquarium facility, and
   12         WHEREAS, The Florida Aquarium opened as a 152,000-square
   13  foot aquarium to tell the story of water, from its underground
   14  source to the open sea, and now is a 250,000-square-foot
   15  facility with more than 530 species and 8,000 animals, including
   16  mammals, reptiles, birds, invertebrates, amphibians, and fish,
   17  and 5,000 specimens of plants and trees, including more than 100
   18  Florida-native species, and
   19         WHEREAS, because of its role in protecting animals, The
   20  Florida Aquarium has received accreditation by the Association
   21  of Zoos and Aquariums for 23 of its 25 years of existence, and
   22         WHEREAS, to increase the genetic diversity of coral and
   23  ultimately create more resilient coral reefs, The Florida
   24  Aquarium has reproduced staghorn coral and raised more than
   25  5,000 staghorn larvae to maturity in nurseries in Apollo Beach,
   26  and
   27         WHEREAS, The Florida Aquarium’s commitment to coral
   28  conservation has resulted in the outplanting of those nursery
   29  grown staghorn coral in the Florida Reef Tract, to protect and
   30  restore this national treasure, and
   31         WHEREAS, The Florida Aquarium made history last year as the
   32  first in the world to successfully spawn the functionally
   33  extinct pillar coral in a laboratory, and
   34         WHEREAS, in 2019, The Florida Aquarium and several partners
   35  opened the Sea Turtle Rehabilitation Center, which includes one
   36  of Florida’s deepest turtle-exclusive dive pools, to
   37  rehabilitate sea turtles and further the aquarium’s commitment
   38  to preserve and protect marine environments, and
   39         WHEREAS, in addition to its mission to protect aquatic
   40  animals and the ecosystem in this state, The Florida Aquarium
   41  also offers world-class entertainment, including guest dive
   42  experiences and wild dolphin excursions, NOW, THEREFORE,
   43  
   44  Be It Resolved by the Senate of the State of Florida:
   45  
   46         That the Florida Senate salutes The Florida Aquarium for
   47  its commitment to preserving and protecting Florida’s natural
   48  habitats and ecological systems and to educating the public
   49  about this state’s marine environments, and recognizes the 25th
   50  anniversary of The Florida Aquarium on February 25, 2020.
   51         BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this resolution be
   52  presented to Kimberly Bruce, chair of The Florida Aquarium Board
   53  of Directors, as a tangible token of the sentiments expressed
   54  herein.