The Florida Aquarium’s New Exhibit Nominated as One of the Best in the Country
The Tide Pool exhibit, which opened Aug. 1, 2025, and is among the only cold-water touch habitats on Florida’s west coast, has been nominated by USA TODAY’s 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards as one of the nation’s Best New Attractions. Since voting began, the exhibit has consistently held a spot in the top three. The 60-foot, 4,000-gallon tank houses more than 250 marine invertebrates and is one of 20 nominees in the category.
“World’s Largest Rubber Duck” is Coming to Clearwater
The “World’s Largest Rubber Duck,” a 61-foot-tall, 64-foot-wide, 74-foot-long art installation, will be the central fixture of a 17-day festival at Coachman Park. The massive inflatable will serve as the backdrop for seven public events over 17 days, including the Duck Dash 5K fun run and Rubber Ducky’s Birthday Bash to mark National Rubber Duck Day on Jan. 17. The duck-themed festival, featuring the installation known as “Mama Duck,” will take place Jan. 10–26.
Clearwater Celebrates Record-Breaking Sea Turtle Nesting Season
Scientists at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium documented a record-breaking sea turtle nesting season that runs from April through October. Along the 21-mile stretch of beach in Pinellas County, they recorded 405 nests and 613 false crawls — the latter referring to turtles that come ashore but do not dig a nest. These are the highest numbers seen in 30 years; by comparison, researchers observed 271 nests in 2024.
Tampa Prepares For Self-Driving Taxis
Waymo — the company that began serving fully autonomous riders with no human behind the wheel in San Francisco in 2022 and now operates in Atlanta; Austin, Texas; Los Angeles; Phoenix; and the San Francisco Bay Area — is working to expand to Tampa. Its fleet of all-electric Jaguar I-PACE vehicles has already begun mapping the city, deploying specialists who study local traffic patterns, pedestrians, complex intersections and street behavior. The goal is to build detailed custom maps that capture everything from lane markers to curb heights, preparing Tampa’s public to soon take advantage of self-driving taxis.
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