Tampa Bay, Florida

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that has been eaten by our friendly shark.

In 1993, we moved from our little town in France to the West coast of Florida in Bradenton. We did not know a lot about this "hot" part of the world, the always well-known Floridian places are Miami & Orlando, and it's not fair for the Tampa Bay area so we decided to talk a little bit more about that region in Florida.

SUN, SAND and SURF have made FLORIDA synonymous with the word "vacation". The hospitable climate, myriad of attractions and exotic landscapes offer endless ways to enjoy leisure.
Tourists are not the only stimulant for the sunshine state's economy, a growing number of national and international corporations find Florida's climate equally favorable for business.

	Florida is a low-lying peninsula separating the Atlantic Ocean from the Gulf of Mexico. A long growing season makes agriculture a major factor in Florida's economy: strawberries, sugar cane, melons, orange, grapefruit and tangerine contribute to the state's tremendous industry.
Capital city: Tallahassee Largest city: Jacksonville, Miami is the 2nd largest Population: 13,953,000 (1992) Area: 58,560 square miles, ranks 22nd
	Tampa is a large and growing port city on Florida's West coast. Skyscrapers dominate much of downtown, where you will find the Florida Aquarium and several excellent museums such as the Salvador Dali Museum. Near the downtown area you will find historic Ybor City, which in years past was a booming cigar making district. Most of the Spanish architecture has been restored and is home to coffee houses, Cuban restaurants, art galleries & antique shops, but mostly crowed at night.

We live in "Manatee county" so we can't forget to talk about the nice creatures.
Legend relates that Indians named the Manatee River for the gentle sea cows which are found in the area's inlets. The manatees are large, plant eating mammals which look like a big, smiling potato with flippers, inhabit the coastal waters of the Bradenton & Florida's Gulf Island Beaches. Also you can find them in the mouths of jungle rivers, lagoons and bays from Florida to Brazil.

Florida local time
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Bradenton nestled between the tropical blue waters of the Gulf of Mexico to the West and Tampa Bay to the North. This destination is a natural choice for tropical vacationers looking for golf, tennis, water sports, shopping plus many cultural and historical attractions.

The circus is an integral part of Sarasota's past. In 1927 John Ringling selected the town for his Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus and made it his home. He exerted a major influence on the growth and development of the city because people from all over the world came to Sarasota to star in his show.

Sarasota, including the offshore islands seaoats

of Lido Key, Longboat Key, St Armand Key and Siesta Key, is a beach resort & an art community.
Since Sarasota is the city where golf was introduced to Florida from Scotland and where the first course was laid out in 1886, it's understandable that the sport remains popular, with more than 30 courses within minutes of downtown.

shark line

Almost all of Florida has a subtropical climate. With this climate you have long, hot rainy summers, and short & usually mild winters. But paradoxically summertime is the bad season with the hurricanes & heavy thunderstorms. Parts of Florida, especially in the south are sometimes endangered in the summer & fall by hurricanes traveling across the Atlantic Ocean.

One of the most beautiful flowering trees in Florida is the Royal Poinciana.

Palms grow in the southern part of the state, and orange trees, mostly cultivated on a commercial basis, are concentrated in the central section.

Florida has some endangered species such as the manatee & the florida panther. Small animals such as rabbit, opossum, squirrel and raccoon are numerous.

The alligator is fairly common, so are snakes, turtles, frogs, lizards, spiders & scorpions. Birds include egrets, flamingos, herons & pelicans. Florida has some 700 species of fish on its rivers, lakes & coastal marine waters. alligator line

And our favorite Floridian mammal is the dolphin, yes like many other people we love dolphins. They are so cute with their smiling faces. Most of the time you can see them along the shores of the Tampa Bay.

Tampa and its neighbor St-Petersburg are the main cities in the Tampa region, a two-hour drive away from Orlando's theme parks.
Mickey

In the 1960's, the famous Hollywood animator Walt Disney purchased 28,000 acres of Florida swampland and built the main attraction for many Florida vacationers: Disney World. The Orlando area has so many fantastic attractions that it would take weeks to visit them all.