SKETCHES, SCRIBBLES & SCRAPS OF
INFORMATION ABOUT PEOPLE, PLACES
& ALMOST ANYTHING ELSE UPFRONT
Philanthropists Ellen Cotton and
Kate Tiedemann enjoyed the annual
Martinis + Matisse event in Clearwater
to benefit the Clearwater Free Clinic.
36 TAMPA BAY MAGAZINE | MARCH/APRIL 2019
GRAM GRAM
Turtle
Rehabilitation
Center
The Florida Aquarium’s President and
CEO Roger Germann has announced
the opening of the facility’s
$4.1 million Sea Turtle Rehabilitation
Center in Apollo Beach. The two-story,
10,000-square-foot center features
five different rehabilitation pools,
including one of the state’s deepest
turtle-exclusive dive pools, which
features an observation window.
Germann says, “We rescue sea turtles
from around Florida and beyond,
but during winter months, there is a
growing need for more animal care
facilities to rehabilitate cold stunned
sea turtles. This center is opening
at the right time, and the Florida
Aquarium will be able to dramatically
increase the number of sea turtles it
cares for during the year.” The pools
at the new center range in size from
1,500 to 25,000 gallons. The sea turtle
dive pool, which reaches a depth of
11 feet, will be used to assess buoyancy
issues, swim conditioning and food
trials before turtles are returned back
into the wild. The center also includes a
state-of-the-art sea turtle surgery suite.
Internationally
acclaimed artists
Robert Stackhouse
and his wife Carol
Mickett congratulated
fellow Tarpon Springs
artist Christopher Still
and his wife Kelly on
Chris’ latest paintings
for the new Belleview
Inn in Belleair.
Christopher Still at the Belleview Inn
The Tampa Bay Trust Company held a reception for artist Christopher Still at the new
Belleview Inn in Belleair, where Christopher spoke about growing up in the area,
studying art at the Florida Gulf Coast Art Center in Belleair, the Dunedin Fine Art
Center and around the world. At the reception, Still showed a half-hour film hosted by
former television newsman John Wilson about two of the major paintings Still created to
reflect the history and legacy of the Belleview-Biltmore Hotel, which has been repositioned
and renovated by JMC Communities as the Belleview Inn.
Clearwater Free Clinic, the nonprofit, nongovernment
medical and mental health facility
serving low-income, uninsured families in
Pinellas County, held its signature Martinis + Matisse
event at the FrankCrum building in Clearwater. The
16th annual fundraiser’s over 800 attendees enjoyed
tasty spirits and creations crafted by local chefs,
and perused pieces of art that went home with
the lucky winners of lottery-style drawings. The
Martinis + Matisse committee was chaired by Susan
Murbach. This event sold out in advance as it has
for the last 10 years.
Gordon and Michele Gilbert’s inaugural
Celebration of the Arts in St. Petersburg
began with a reception at St. Pete Opera’s
Opera Central, home of St. Petersburg Opera.
This February series of cultural events had
a William Shakespeare theme. Maestro
Mark Sforzini started the celebration with a
production of the legendary Broadway musical
comedy Kiss Me Kate, which Cole Porter created,
based on Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew.
Gordon and Michele Gilbert hope to
continue an annual Celebration of the Arts
month in St. Petersburg in future years.
THE FLORIDA AQUARIUM
Releasing sea turtles back to the wild is
the goal of The Florida Aquarium’s new
Sea Turtle Rehabilitation Center
in Apollo Beach.
Martinis + Matisse
Shakespeare in St. Petersburg