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Zoo Tampa staff honored for manatee rescues at Hillsborough County commission meeting
Summary
Hillsborough County presented the 2026 Theodore Roosevelt Hillsborough Forever Conservation Award to Zoo Tampa at Lowry Park staff for their Manatee Critical Care Center work; the team has rescued more than 635 manatees and returned 356 to the wild.
Katie, with Hillsborough County Communications and Digital Media, said the Board of County Commissioners presented the 2026 Theodore Roosevelt Hillsborough Forever Conservation Award to staff from Zoo Tampa at Lowry Park for their work at the Manatee Critical Care Center.
The recognition highlighted over 30 years of rescue and rehabilitative care: county materials cited more than 635 manatees rescued and 356 returned to the wild. The county noted that the center’s public engagement and education efforts aim to help residents and visitors understand how to protect manatees and preserve Florida’s waterways.
County officials made the award during the April 15 meeting as part of a broader slate of agenda items; no formal vote or further action on the award was listed in the meeting recap. The county posts information about its conservation recognitions and related programs on hcfl.gov.
