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	<title>Florida Gulf Vacations -  Blog &#187; florida vacations</title>
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	<description>Florida Gulf Coast and Disney Vacation Rentals by Owner</description>
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		<title>Photo: February&#8217;s Daytona 500, Daytona International Speedway</title>
		<link>http://floridagulfvacation.com/blog/photo-februarys-daytona-500-daytona-international-speedway/</link>
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		<pubDate>Thu, 16 Feb 2012 14:31:20 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Beachlover</dc:creator>
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		<description><![CDATA[ The most-watched race in America, the Daytona 500, is held in February at the culmination of Speedweeks at Daytona International Speedway.]]></description>
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		<title>Photo: Dolphin Research Center, Marathon</title>
		<link>http://floridagulfvacation.com/blog/photo-dolphin-research-center-marathon/</link>
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		<pubDate>Thu, 16 Feb 2012 14:31:12 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Beachlover</dc:creator>
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		<description><![CDATA[ The Dolphin Research Center in Marathon focuses on educational presentations, but dolphins still make an occasional showy leap.]]></description>
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		<title>Seaside Salute For Military: Discounts Offered On Amelia Island</title>
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		<pubDate>Thu, 16 Feb 2012 12:30:36 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>apemWoova</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Amelia Island]]></category>
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		<description><![CDATA[ Attention military personnel! You&#8217;ve got a Seaside Salute waiting for you on the naturally beautiful, Amelia Island . To thank you for your service, many places that offer accommodators have banded together to offer a variety of discounts and special rates &#8211; a savings of up to 20 percent for active duty, reserve and retired members of the U.S. Armed Forces and their families. This area in Northeast Florida has been voted one of the Top 10 North American Islands in Conde Nast Traveler&#39;s &#8220;Reader&#39;s Choice Awards&#8221; for five consecutive years. It&#8217;s so beautiful, you&#8217;ll have to see yourself &#8211; and now you can while saving up to 20 percent! In total, 16 of the island&#8217;s award-winning resorts, inns and hotels are participating. Here are their offers: ▪ The Addison on Amelia (14-room boutique inn) &#8211; 15 percent off for Active Duty Military ▪ Amelia by the Sea (oceanfront condominiums) &#8211; 20 percent off ▪ Amelia Hotel at the Beach (family-owned, oceanview hotel) &#8211; Rates starting at $69 ▪ The Amelia Island Williams House (southern Victorian inn) &#8211; 15 percent off for Active Duty Military ▪ Amelia South Condominiums (beachfront, on South Fletcher Avenue) &#8211; 20 percent off ▪ AmeliaVacations.com by ERA Fernandina Beach Realty (vacation rental homes and condos) &#8211; 20 percent off ▪ Beachside Motel Inn (the island&#8217;s only oceanfront motel) &#8211; 15 percent off ▪ Comfort Suites (located steps from Main Beach) &#8211; 15 percent off ▪ Elizabeth Pointe Lodge (#6 small resort by Conde Nast Traveler ) &#8211; 15 percent off Active Duty Military ▪ Hampton Inn Amelia Island (one block from the beach) &#8211; $88 rate ▪ Hampton Inn &#038; Suites Amelia Island (Fernandina Beach historic harbor-front hotel) &#8211; $88 rate ▪ Hoyt House (elegant, 10-room inn) &#8211; 15 percent off for Active Duty Military ▪ Oceans of Amelia (oceanfront units with private balcony) &#8211; 20 percent off ▪ Omni Amelia Island Plantation (1,350-acre beach resort) &#8211; from $96 rate ▪ Residence Inn Amelia Island (area&#8217;s newest hotel) &#8211; Rates starting at $80 ▪ Summer Beach Resort (condominium accommodations with resort amenities) &#8211; 20 percent off For more infor about the Seaside Salute, log on to www.ameliaisland.com/SeasideSalute or call 904-277-0717. Small print: Please note that advance reservations are required. Military ID must be presented at time of check-in. Some blackout dates or other restrictions may apply. Rates shown do not include applicable taxes. Offers may not be combined with any other offer, promotion, or package. Check with each individual property for specific terms and conditions. That&#39;s it! Enjoy! View the original here: Seaside Salute For Military: Discounts Offered On Amelia Island ]]></description>
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		<title>Racecar Engines Roar Year Round in Florida</title>
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		<pubDate>Wed, 15 Feb 2012 22:52:25 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Beachlover</dc:creator>
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		<description><![CDATA[ Don Garlits&#39; homemade dragster was just a hobby for under the oak tree at his house off East 122nd Avenue in Tampa , comfortably away from the family-owned garage. One wouldn&#39;t dare work on a racecar at an auto-repair facility in Florida in 1954. With those vehicles having a stigma of sorts back then, Garlits said, "customers wouldn&#39;t think you&#39;d be working on their cars." Plus, Garlits never really thought his hobby would amount to much more than a backyard pursuit. He was gloriously wrong. The hobbyist became "Big Daddy" Don Garlits, and the shade-tree pursuit is a part of a motor-sports-crazed nation, with niches in various corners. NASCAR&#39;s home is in North Carolina, where its teams are based and its moonshine-running roots are celebrated. Open-wheel racing is revered in the Midwest, especially Indiana, where the famous Indianapolis Motor Speedway has tested the limits of man and machine for 100 years. Drag racing, Garlits&#39; passion, traces its professional roots to Southern California. And Florida can claim it all. The most-watched race in America, the Daytona 500 , will be held later this month at the culmination of Speedweeks at Daytona International Speedway &#8211; the "World Center of Racing," a self-proclaimed title, but still hard to argue. America&#39;s most popular racing series starts its season here and will end it in November at Homestead-Miami Speedway . The Izod IndyCar Series will also start its season in Florida next month at the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg , an event that in eight short years has become one of the more popular city-street races in the country. The National Hot Rod Association&#39;s Full Throttle Drag Racing Series comes through Gainesville in March for the 43rd annual Gatornationals , one of the oldest and best-attended races on its schedule. Last month, the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona endurance race was held at the track for the 50th year. VISIT FLORIDA sponsors the Dempsey Mazda racing team. And that&#39;s just a portion of what the Florida racing scene has to offer. From the 12 Hours of Sebring to Saturday night dirt-track racing, the calendar goes on and on in a state where the engines roar year round. The throttle-up is especially appreciated during the winter months, where the only racing-conducive weather in northern climates is for snowmobiles. "If you don&#39;t think that Florida racing, especially Speedweeks racing, is a big deal, go down to tracks like Ocala , East Bay (outside Tampa). They&#39;ll have modified races with 80 to 100 cars in the pit area," said NASCAR driver and Zephyrhills native David Reutimann. "I&#39;ve seen guys from Canada pull down here because of the weather, because of the racetracks, where they can run three weeks solid of all kinds of dirt racing. "You see people base their entire vacations around working their butts off on racecars. Florida&#39;s legendary for this time right now. Right now, &#39;til Daytona&#39;s over with, there&#39;s no bigger place on the planet as far as your racing career." Reutimann would know. The 41-year-old driver comes from a family of oil-stained lifers and can remember traveling from Pasco County to Daytona as a teenager, following his father to the dirt tracks. They didn&#39;t attend the Daytona 500, but would take in the twin-125 (mile) qualifying races at the huge 2.5-mile oval as part of their Speedweeks routines. "The place was larger than life, and it continues to be even as I&#39;ve raced the Daytona 500 a couple times," said Reutimann, who now drives for Tommy Baldwin Racing. Say "The Great American Race" to any sports fan and they&#39;ll know it&#39;s the Daytona 500, running for the 54th time this year. Its winners list is the history of American motorsports, from Petty to Andretti to Foyt to Earnhardt. For more history, Garlits offers up his own museum. The Don Garlits Museum of Drag Racing in Ocala has welcomed visitors since 1984 to a sprawling complex of buildings featuring classic cars and dragsters, including many of his own record-setting vehicles. In the next few years, Garlits hopes to consolidate the collection under one roof, making a 100,000-square-foot showcase of racing history. Having amassed such an amazing collection, Garlits could have opened his museum anywhere &#8211; including any of those other motorsports hot spots around the country already listed here. But in the end, he didn&#39;t stray too far from his roots, and that oak tree. "It&#39;s Florida, man," Garlits said. "My rule is to keep Florida great." When it comes to motorsports, Florida is already there. Florida Racing Hot Spots Daytona International Speedway 1-800-PITSHOP, daytonainternationalspeedway.com Opened: 1959 Major races: Grand Am Rolex 24 (January), NASCAR Daytona 500 (February), NASCAR Coke Zero 400 (July) Notable: Daily tours available, from 30 minutes to 90 minutes long; "VIP" tours available on selected dates Gainesville Raceway 352-377-0046, gainesvilleraceway.com Opened: 1969 Major race: NHRA Gatornationals (March) Notable: Road course, separate from drag strip, hosts driving schools and corporate functions Homestead-Miami Speedway (866) 409-RACE, homesteadmiamispeedway.com Opened: 1995 Major races: Grand Am Grand Prix of Miami (April), NASCAR Championship weekend (November) Notable: General public can drag-race their street cars on selected Friday nights year round. Sebring Raceway 800-626-RACE, sebringraceway.com Opened: 1950 Major race: Mobil 1 12 Hours of Sebring (March) Notable: The oldest permanent road racing track in North America, it evolved from a World War II air base. ]]></description>
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		<title>Photo: The Turtle Hospital, Marathon</title>
		<link>http://floridagulfvacation.com/blog/photo-the-turtle-hospital-marathon/</link>
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		<pubDate>Wed, 15 Feb 2012 19:08:40 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>JanineMORRIS25</dc:creator>
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		<description><![CDATA[ Turtle Hospital Rehabilitation worker Gunnar Zollinger (right) leads a tour that includes tank-side talks about each of the injured sea turtles being treated. Read the article: Photo: The Turtle Hospital, Marathon ]]></description>
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		<title>Wild in the Florida Keys: The Animal Lovers&#8217; Tour</title>
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		<pubDate>Wed, 15 Feb 2012 19:08:32 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Spustommutt</dc:creator>
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		<description><![CDATA[ For my family, visiting the Florida Keys has always been about the wildlife. Few places in the U.S. offer such easy access to such a range of unusual and fascinating creatures. Some are rare and endangered like the petite Key deer, which number less than 1,000. Some are so common as to be considered nuisances like the colorful and feisty chickens that strut the streets of Key West. Animal lovers (and most kids) will enjoy them all. It&#39;s easy to organize your drive down the Overseas Highway into your own personal Florida Keys Animal Lovers&#39; Tour. Some of the stops are free or cost only $1 or $2. Here are eight places to help you get wild in the Keys. Swim with the Fish &#8211; John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park , Key Largo The wildlife is underwater here, probably the most popular snorkeling spot in the continental U.S. Snorkeling trips head to the reefs daily. If you want to stay dry, take the glass-bottom boat tours. (Make sure it&#39;s a calm day if you are prone to seasickness.) If you want to see a few fish, but not spend money or time for a boat trip, Pennekamp offers very good snorkeling from its manmade Cannon Beach . The park placed remnants of an early Spanish shipwreck about 100 feet off the beach. Fish congregate under and around the sea-life encrusted cannons and anchor. Snorkelers see a variety of creatures, including large barracuda and tarpon. Want to stay firmly on land? See the visitor center&#39;s 30,000-gallon saltwater aquarium. John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park U.S. 1 Mile Marker 102.5, Key Largo 305-451-1202 Admission: $8 per vehicle, with a limit of eight people per vehicle. Befriend the Birds &#8211; Florida Keys Wild Bird Center , Tavernier Get close to a wide variety of birds native to the Florida Keys at this rescue and rehab center. Marked with only a basic sign, the center doesn&#39;t look like much from the Overseas Highway. Its charm is in its informal, volunteer vibe. The shady mangrove forest is sectioned off via wire caging to create enclosures for injured birds. Awkward brown pelicans hop with just a stub where a wing or leg should be. Great egrets, cormorants and varieties of owls and hawks draw attention. But birds wander outside the cages, too. Pelicans, herons and egrets hang around hoping to snatch food, sometimes blocking the walkway. A volunteer busy feeding the birds told us: &#8220;We have no problem with birds breaking out. Our problem is preventing birds from breaking in.&#8221; The path leads down to the waterfront for a lovely view of Florida Bay and its active bird life. Florida Keys Wild Bird Center 93600 Overseas Hwy MM 93.6, Tavernier 305-852-4486 Admission: Free, but donations are welcome. There is also a wild-bird rescue center in Marathon: Crane Point Museum and Nature Center 5550 Overseas Highway, Marathon Admission: $12.50 for adults, $8.50 for children 5-13, and children 4 and under free. Feed the Tarpon &#8211; Robbie&#39;s Marina , Islamorada Robbie&#39;s big draw involves the chance to see 50 to 100 enormous tarpon swimming around the dock in clear water only a few feet deep. Pay $1 to go out on the dock. It&#39;s another $3 for a bucket of fish to toss to them. It may be the best entertainment in the Keys for the price. These aren&#39;t the usual fish that gather when you throw bread crusts into the water. Tarpon grow to be 5 to 8 feet long and weigh 80 to 150 pounds. These great saltwater game fish are prized for their fight (but not as food). Visitors stand in awe of the tarpon convention that happens daily. The powerful, silver fish flash in the sunlight as they lunge for the snacks dropped by visitors. Some even try to hand-feed the fish, providing entertainment for those content to keep a distance. Warm water makes the tarpon more active, so winter visitors may see more subdued tarpon action. Robbie&#39;s Marina 77522 B. Overseas Highway, Islamorada 305-664-9814 Admission: $1 to go onto the dock, $3 for a bucket of fish. Get Splashed by a Dolphin &#8211; Dolphin Research Center , Marathon The Keys offer many different ways to experience dolphins. Theater of the Sea in Islamorada offers entertaining shows, and several tour boats in Key West offer wild-dolphin-viewing trips. The Dolphin Research Center, a nonprofit facility, focuses on education. Trainers hold informative sessions as visitors stand on the dock around open-water tanks. At a small group session, a staff member demonstrates how they train younger dolphins. While visitors ask questions and watch, the dolphins swim in front of them. The facility, built along the waterfront with beautiful views of Florida Bay, allows visitors to linger. Tour and information sessions take an hour or two, but many visitors stay for several hours, watching dolphins and talking with the friendly, well-informed staff. Guests can also pay for additional programs where they can interact with the dolphins, and these are entertaining to watch as well. The Dolphin Research Center offers a half-dozen interactive options. An extra $25 allows you to shake a flipper and touch a dolphin. If you spend $104, you can take a dip with a dolphin. For $650, you get an all-day &#8220;Trainer for a Day&#8221; program. Dolphin Research Center 58901 Overseas Highway, Marathon 305-289-1121 Admission: $20 for adults, $15 for children 4 to 12, and children 3 and under free. A coupon for $3 off is available on the center&#39;s website. Support a Sea Turtle &#8211; The Turtle Hospital , Marathon Seeing a sea turtle in the wild while in the Keys is uncommon, but you can get within arm&#39;s reach of several varieties that frequent the Keys. You can even toss them some food at the nonprofit Turtle Hospital. The admission price paid to tour the Turtle Hospital, housed in a former motel on the Overseas Highway, supports its program of rescuing and rehabilitating about 100 injured sea turtles a year. A 90-minute educational tour occurs several times a day. In 2011, 40,000 people took the tour. The visit begins with an educational presentation that focuses on the types of sea turtles and the challenges they face in Florida. While younger kids may squirm, presenters keep it interesting by passing around objects (sponges, a favorite turtle food, for example). They also tell stories about the individual turtles rescued by the hospital. Visitors meet some of those turtles, such as Bubble Butt, the first and longest permanent resident of the facility. Bubble Butt was rescued March 25, 1989, after being struck by a boat off Long Key . The boat strike deformed the shell, leaving a large &#8220;bubble&#8221; on his rear. It made it impossible for him to dive. As many as a dozen or more different types of sea turtles fill individual plastic tanks while being treated. Visitors gather around each tank and the guide tells each turtle&#39;s history. Nearby, permanent residents and turtles almost strong enough to be released swim in an old saltwater swimming pool, which has been converted into a large turtle aquarium. Visitors line the pool&#39;s edge, hear each turtle&#39;s story and receive a handful of catfish chow to throw to the waiting turtles. The Turtle Hospital 2396 Overseas Highway, Marathon 305-743-2552 Admission: $15 for adults; $7.50 for children 4 to 12. Reservations are recommended. Glimpse a Key Deer &#8211; National Key Deer Refuge , Big Pine Key Driving through Big Pine Key brings warnings to slow down for Key deer, but seeing the deer isn&#39;t easy because there are so few. In 1957, there were only 27 Key deer left. The National Key Deer Refuge and its preservation efforts enabled the population to rebound to an estimated 800. Bucks stand from 28 to 32 inches at the shoulder. They weigh an average of 80 pounds. Does stand 24 to 28 inches at the shoulder and weigh an average of 65 pounds. So, how do you see Key deer? Some might appear by the side of the road on the Overseas Highway. The visitor center for the National Key Deer Refuge, located in a nearby shopping center, offers maps and information to help you explore. Refuge lands include an old quarry filled with freshwater called the Blue Hole. There&#39;s an observation platform and two short trails that lead to recommended spots to watch for deer. On a recent trip, we walked and bicycled through No Name Key , an island that is part of the refuge, during early evening and saw many Key deer. Timing is everything. On No Name Key, we spotted several deer grazing along the side of the road, including toy-like fawns. The diminutive size of this sub-species of white-tailed deer charmed us. We&#39;ve seen bigger dogs, and like dogs, they are friendly. The deer live in such proximity to people they feel no fear; however, people can be a danger to the deer. Last year, cars killed 150 Key deer, a new record. Most died on U.S. 1. Strict speed limits are in place in the refuge. It is also against the law to feed Key deer. To get to No Name Key, turn right (if you&#39;re driving south) at the one major intersection/traffic light in Big Pine Key. There are two roads heading east. One, Wilder Road, is clearly labeled No Name Key. Follow it (and the signs) to Watson Boulevard, which eventually crosses a scenic bridge to No Name Key. National Key Deer Refuge 175 Key Deer Boulevard, Big Pine Key Admission: Free Tip: Use insect repellent before going to No Name Key at dusk. Crow at a Chicken &#8211; Key West You don&#39;t have to work hard to spot the Key West chickens &#8211; they crow and strut everywhere. The colorful roosters, mother hens and lines of tiny chicks weave in and out of traffic and through outdoor cafes all over town. There have always been chickens in Key West. Backyard chickens gained their freedom when people stopped the laborious process of turning live chickens into Sunday dinner decades ago. Roosters went free when cock-fighting became illegal. When the chicken population grew large in 2004, Key West hired a chicken catcher to reduce the number. His work became controversial because people cherished the chickens. When he quit that same year, the city discontinued the post. The chickens may have fans, but they also have detractors. &#8220;They crow at all hours,&#8221; explained Debbie Britten, a volunteer at the Key West Wildlife Center. &#8220;They&#39;re like some of the people down here &#8211; they don&#39;t know when to quit.&#8221; To get rid of nuisance chickens, residents can borrow a trap from the wildlife center and bring the captured fowl there. The chickens are trucked to organic farms in Central Florida, where they are prized for their eggs and for their help with pest control. (They eat bugs.) One sign of how many chickens roam Key West: The wildlife center relocated close to 1,500 last year, Britten said &#8211; and they&#39;re still everywhere. Key West Wildlife Center 1801 White Street, Key West 305-292-1008 Admission: free Behold the Butterfly &#8211; Key West Butterfly and Nature Conservancy This is the most peaceful place in crazy, clamorous Key West. Located on Duval Street within a block of the Southernmost Point in the United States, the Key West Butterfly and Nature Conservancy immerses you in a tropical garden where butterflies float overhead and flashy finches dart past waterfalls and koi-filled ponds. The conservatory asks visitors to turn off their cell phones, so you hear few sounds except chirping birds and the soft, chime-like background music. The 5,000-square-foot conservatory features a plexiglass structure designed as a Victorian greenhouse. It provides butterfly-shaped benches where visitors can sit and contemplate while an occasional butterfly floats by or lands on your shoulder. The conservancy, which is kept at a constant 85 degrees, is home to 50 to 60 butterfly species from around the world and 20 exotic bird species. Butterflies come from farms, not from the wild. Key West Butterfly and Nature Conservancy 1316 Duval Street, Key West 800-839-4647 Admission: $12 for adults, $8.50 for children 4 to 12 years, and children under 4 are free. Look for maps and brochures widely available with $2 off coupons. Follow this link: Wild in the Florida Keys: The Animal Lovers&#039; Tour ]]></description>
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		<title>Photo: Fire-Belly Toad stitches, Busch Gardens Animal Care Center, Tampa</title>
		<link>http://floridagulfvacation.com/blog/photo-fire-belly-toad-stitches-busch-gardens-animal-care-center-tampa/</link>
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		<pubDate>Wed, 15 Feb 2012 19:08:29 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Uschivanlove</dc:creator>
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		<description><![CDATA[ Giving stitches to a small fire-belly toad requires delicate work at the Animal Care Center in Busch Gardens. Visit site: Photo: Fire-Belly Toad stitches, Busch Gardens Animal Care Center, Tampa ]]></description>
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		<title>The Theme of This Park: Watch Us Care for The Animals That Entertain You</title>
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		<pubDate>Wed, 15 Feb 2012 19:08:24 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>DavidBethany27</dc:creator>
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		<description><![CDATA[ If viewing a little blood makes you squeamish, Trevor Suich warned theme park visitors as they rounded the corner of Busch Gardens &#39; newest attraction, please enter this area with caution. Wait a second. What kind of thrill ride is this? Suich, a park educator, described a medical procedure that was being conducted on a 5-year-old Red kangaroo. A keeper had noticed that the kangaroo&#39;s behavior was a bit odd, so the animal was brought to the new Animal Care Center for a checkup. The kangaroo had some bile backup and inflammation around his hind quarters. While the visitors watched, Dr. Alexander Cole, a senior veterinarian, took a biopsy that soon would be sent to the pathology lab for examination. Cole wanted to see what was causing the apparent infection. Cole&#39;s every word could be heard by parkgoers and his every move witnessed. pullquote &#8220;It&#39;s not the prettiest thing in the world,&#8221; Cole said, as he began to snip small pieces of tissue from the kangaroo&#39;s rectal area. &#8220;This is a very vascular area, so there may be some bleeding.&#8221; Sure enough, as if on cue, blood began to ooze. Again, it all was seen by park visitors. As part of its newest attraction, Busch Gardens has moved all of its animal care from behind the scenes and placed it in a nearly 16,000-square-foot medical observation facility that park visitors can access. Shielded only by glass walls, every aspect of animal care is now viewable by the public. From tigers undergoing routine checkups to animals being X-rayed to a gorilla having a Caesarean section, parkgoers can now see it all from beginning to end. &#8220;We go through a lot of effort to keep our animals healthy and it&#39;s good for the public to see that,&#8221; said Dr. Peter Black, a Busch Gardens senior veterinarian. &#8220;People will enjoy seeing this aspect of it.&#8221; The new Animal Care Center opened to the public Jan. 23. In addition to the glass-walled treatment rooms, also on view are a clinical lab and an interactive diagnostic tool/kiosk monitor that allows guests to get more information about the animals. Flat screen televisions mounted in the facility also allow guests to see what the veterinarians are doing. The facility has a nutrition center and kitchen that display all the cleanliness and stage presence of a Food Network cooking show. The animals&#39; daily meals are prepared there, and this, too, can be seen by the public. Educators are on hand to offer demonstrations and field questions. Mike Boos, vice president of zoological operations, has worked for Busch Gardens for nearly 30 years. He said the park &#8220;gets so many requests to go behind the scenes&#8221; that it was logical to bring its animal care operations to the forefront. &#8220;We welcome the opportunity to share our level of care with our guests and to continue our mission of connecting guests to animals and the natural world,&#8221; Boos said. &#8220;No other zoological facility can offer the unique, up close experience that this new facility will provide.&#8221; Famed animal lover and TV personality Jack Hanna visited the treatment center just before its public opening and declared himself impressed by what Busch Gardens was doing. Hanna said he had seen only one other center that provides this level of animal care insight to its guests &#8211; a facility in Melville, Australia. &#8220;This is one of the few places in the world where you will have the chance to witness this kind of care,&#8221; Hanna told VISIT FLORIDA. &#8220;It&#39;s more than just a hospital. It&#39;s a learning situation. In three to five years, you will see other centers like this pop up.&#8221; Though other attractions may not show an animal&#39;s vital organs during surgery, several other places in the state provide visitors with an up-close view of animals. For instance, Jungle Island &#39;s VIP Safari Tour in Miami offers a privately guided, 90-minute behind-the-scenes tour that brings guests close to some of the world&#39;s rarest and most fascinating animals. In Punta Gorda , behind-the-scenes tours are offered at Octagon Wildlife Sanctuary , which houses primates, lions and tigers. And at the Palm Beach Zoo , tours can be taken of the Melvin J. and Claire Levine Animal Care Complex. Boos said Busch Gardens has been working for years to develop a way to make the care of its more than 2,000 animals &#8211; representing 307 species &#8211; more visible to visitors. This is new territory for the park, he said. One potential concern: if a surgery goes bad and an animal dies in full public view. &#8220;Again, this is something new,&#8221; Boos said. &#8220;Right now, we are going to show everything that we do and reevaluate as we go.&#8221; Meanwhile, back at the center, Dr. Cole continued to examine the kangaroo and explained every step to the small gathering of park goers. Some asked questions as the biopsy was being conducted. One guest wanted to know what kind of anesthesia was being used on the kangaroo. Another wanted to know how long the anesthesia lasted. A third wanted to know if the animal could feel anything. At the end of the procedure, a visitor summed it up rather neatly. &#8220;That&#39;s so cool,&#8221; she said. Florida Animal Encounters Busch Gardens in Tampa &#8211; Experience animal exhibits, thrill rides, various shows and the new Animal Care Center. SeaWorld Orlando &#8211; See dolphins and sea lions up close, and check out behind-the-scenes tours. Jacksonville Zoo &#038; Gardens &#8211; The northeast Florida zoo offers a walking tour of some of the animal exhibits at the zoo.You can visit their night dens, learn about their care and feeding, habits and more. All tours provide time for questions and answers. St. Augustine Alligator Farm &#8211; Features gators, birds and fossils. The Palm Beach Zoo &#8211; Its behind-the-scenes tours include an Animal Hospital Tour, Wild Asia and Australia Tour, Tropics of the Americas Tour and Florida Wildlife Tour. Brevard Zoo &#8211; Brevard Zoo is home to ore than 165 species of animals from North and South America, Australia and Africa. It also offers activities such as kayaking, train rides and educational tours. In addition, the zoo offers daily animal demonstrations that rotate depending on the day including alligator, otter and vulture feedings. Gatorland &#8211; Known as the &#8220;Alligator Capital of the World,&#8221; the park features thousands of alligators, crocodiles and exotic birds. Gatorland also has a petting zoo, bird sanctuary, mini water park, eco-tour and alligator wrestling shows. Tallahassee Museum &#8211; Behind-the-scenes experiences tour near the animals (Florida panthers, black bears, red wolves and more) and the veterinary facilities. Most of the animals are non-releasable due to injury, with the notable exception of endangered red wolves, which spend time at the museum en route to other destinations, including reintroduction to the wild. Octagon Wildlife Sanctuary &#8211; For 30 years, Octagon Wildlife Sanctuary in Punta Gorda has rescued and cared for an assortment of unwanted and neglected animals, most of which would have been euthanized or left to die. Zoo Miami &#8211; It just opened its latest exhibit &#8211; Wings Down Under: A Parrot Feeding Adventure &#8211; in its Australian lobe. This free-flight, 1,656-square-foot aviary houses over 300 brightly colored birds, including cockatiels, parakeets and rosellas &#8211; all parrots native to Australia. Upon arrival, guests are surrounded by the sounds of the birds chirping and singing in the aviary&#39;s peaceful environment encircled with a lush landscape inspired by the Australian Outback. E.O. Wilson Biophilia Center &#8211; Located in South Walton County, on the Nokuse Plantation, the center is an environmental facility serving students, teachers and professional audiences, and is nestled in the Longleaf Pine ecosystem, considered the sixth most biodiverse area in the continental U.S. St. Augustine Wild Reserve &#8211; The reserve &#8211; a rehab facility for exotic animals, especially big cats &#8211; offers weekly tours. Lion Country Safari &#8211; Drive through the four-mile safari and see wild animals just inches from your car, including lions, zebras, rhinos, giraffes, wildebeest, ostrich, water buffalo, watusi and more. Then, visit Safari World, a 55-acre, walk-through park with animal displays and encounters, rides, food, shopping and more. Giraffe Ranch &#8211; Located in east Pasco County, 45 minutes northeast of Tampa, Giraffe Ranch sits on 47 acres of rolling countryside. The ranch is a native wildlife preserve. St. Lucie County Aquarium featuring the Smithsonian Marine Ecosystems Exhibit &#8211; Feeding Frenzy tours take place daily at 10:30 a.m., while the snack time tour is daily at 2:30 p.m. Behind-the-scenes tours are also available. More: The Theme of This Park: Watch Us Care for The Animals That Entertain You ]]></description>
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		<title>Photo: Muntjac teeth-cleaning, Busch Gardens Animal Care Center, Tampa</title>
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		<pubDate>Wed, 15 Feb 2012 19:08:22 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>MichaelZU</dc:creator>
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		<description><![CDATA[ A muntjac gets its teeth cleaned at the Busch Gardens&#8217; Animal Care Center, which is open to the public. More: Photo: Muntjac teeth-cleaning, Busch Gardens Animal Care Center, Tampa ]]></description>
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		<title>Photo: Beaches of Fort Myers &amp; Sanibel Lighthouse</title>
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		<pubDate>Wed, 15 Feb 2012 06:06:26 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Beachlover</dc:creator>
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		<description><![CDATA[ The Beaches of Fort Myers &#038; Sanibel]]></description>
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