Janelle Irwin Taylor
As the rest of the world gets bombarded with memes about tariffed penguins on remote islands near Antarctica, Florida lawmakers will get bombarded on Wednesday with a cuteness overload courtesy of some penguins.
Specifically, beloved African penguins from the Florida Aquarium in Tampa will visit Tallahassee, where they will display their little penguin waddles through the Capitol.
While there will no doubt be plenty of selfies with the tuxedoed flightless birds that are critically endangered, the visit has a more important message: the need for funding to enhance storm and flood protection at the Aquarium’s waterfront campus in downtown Tampa.
The Aquarium was put to the test last year when floodwaters from Hurricane Helene reached its doors, forcing staff to move its resident animals, including the penguins, to higher ground.
On hand to greet lawmakers will be penguins Archi, Enzi, Nuri and Dassen.
The penguins will visit the Senate Majority Office at 9 a.m. and then head to the House Majority Office at 10:15 a.m.
The Florida Aquarium is seeking state funding to build a flood barrier and renovate exterior entrances to protect its animal inhabitants, habitats and critical life support systems from wind and flood damage
Rep. Karen Gonzalez Pittman, whose House District 65 includes the Aquarium, is carrying an appropriations request for $1 million to cover part of the $15 million storm and flood protection project, specifically for construction of flood barrier walls and renovation of exterior entrances to include door flood barriers.
