TAMPA, Fla. — The Florida Aquarium is ready to reopen its doors on Monday in the wake of two powerful hurricanes.
The aquarium announced that it will reopen Monday, Oct. 14, at 9:30 a.m. and resume its normal operating hours. The aquarium closed to the public Tuesday in preparation for Hurricane Milton, which was a Category 3 storm when it made landfall Wednesday night.
The aquarium said all of its animals are safe and healthy.
According to the aquarium, as part of its hurricane preparedness plan, team members moved animals before Milton hit. Team members moved animals to higher floors, including nine penguins. They also transferred thousands of corals and relocated a rescued sea turtle from the aquarium's Apollo Beach location to Tampa.
The turtle, a green sea turtle named Calintina, was found stranded in a ditch following Hurricane Helene and rescued by Clearwater Marine Aquarium, the Florida Aquarium said.
Clearwater Marine Aquarium was severely impacted by Helene, and Calintina the turtle then moved from The Florida Aquarium’s Sea Turtle Rehabilitation Center in Apollo Beach to ride out Hurricane Milton at the Tampa campus, according to the aquarium. Calintina got the care she needed returned home to the Gulf of Mexico Saturday evening.
The aquarium said guests who purchased tickets to visit the during its closure for the storm can email MoreInfo@FLaquarium.org or call them at 813-273-4000 to reschedule the visit.
