UPFRONT
SKETCHES, SCRIBBLES & SCRAPS OF
INFORMATION ABOUT PEOPLE, PLACES
& ALMOST ANYTHING ELSE Florida Aquarium Creates Coral
The Florida Aquarium’s Center for Conservation in Apollo Beach has
become the first in the world to reproduce ridged cactus coral in
human care as part of its efforts to save the Florida Reef Tract from
extinction. This second breakthrough, following last year’s achievement
of getting Atlantic Ocean coral to spawn in a laboratory environment,
has Roger Germann, president and CEO of the Florida Aquarium in
Tampa, saying that not even a global pandemic can slow down the
organization’s attempts to protect and restore America’s great barrier
reef. The aquarium works on this project in collaboration with the Florida
Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the National Oceanic
and Atmospheric Administration’s National Marine Fisheries Service.
This ridged cactus coral has been reproduced by
The Florida Aquarium in its efforts to save the
Ruth Eckerd Hall in Clearwater, led by
its president and CEO Susan Crockett,
helped The Salvation Army serve
twice as many families in June by hosting
drive-through food distributions on its
large property. This was in addition
to The Salvation Army’s events at its
Social Services campus in Clearwater.
The Salvation Army is the nation’s
largest social service organization
with more than 7,600 service locations
across the country, helping nearly
23 million Americans. Ruth Eckerd Hall
was named a Top Workplace for 2020
by the Tampa Bay Times.
36 TAMPA BAY MAGAZINE | JULY/AUGUST 2020
THE FLORIDA AQUARIUM
Florida Reef Tract from extinction.
Ruth Eckerd Hall’s expanded six-lane grand
entry helped accommodate Salvation Army
food distribution pickups.
St. Petersburg
Opera’s Vincerò
The annual Bella Voce fundraiser
for the St. Petersburg Opera was
transformed by the pandemic from
a glamorous dinner and entertainment
gala to an online-only extravaganza.
The theme was Vincerò, a phrase
from the opera Turandot meaning,
“I will be victorious.” Over a dozen
tenors and other live and prerecorded
entertainment segments were featured
in addition to live and silent auctions.
The St. Petersburg Opera Company is
creatively moving forward in spite of
the current crisis.
GRAM
Burger Monger
Family Meal
Restaurants have had to rethink their
businesses as a result of COVID-
19. The Burger Monger chain has
come up with a fun way for a family
to dine together with two specials on
Fridays. For $34.99, you can choose to
get a family-size box of freshly breaded
chicken strips with dipping sauces, chips
and cookies, or four cheeseburgers with
lettuce, tomatoes, onions, pickles and
Monger sauce, plus fries and chocolate
chip cookies. Both of these takeout
specials are economically great buys
and gastronomically delicious. Tampa
Bay area Burger Mongers are located
in Safety Harbor, St. Petersburg, Tampa
and Wesley Chapel.
Maestro Mark Sforzini founded the
St. Petersburg Opera Company in 2007
to enrich the cultural life in our area by
presenting fully staged high quality operas.
JEFF O’KELLEY
Ruth Eckerd Hall Partners with The Salvation Army
Burger Monger’s family box of freshly
breaded chicken strips, housemade chips,
ranch, barbecue and honey mustard dipping
sauces and chocolate chip cookies is an easy
way to have a family meal together.
CAROL DIOCA