Port of Tampa wins environmental award

Port of Tampa wins environmental award The Port of Tampa's ongoing 'Fantasy Island' project has been selected by the American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA) as one of the association's 2007 Environmental Improvement Awards.
   Fantasy Island is a four-acre island that was made from dredge material deposited through the late 1970s and early 1980s. In early 2000, a group made up of individuals from various port-related companies, groups, and agencies started to discuss how the island could be restored and developed as an educational, pro-nature outpost on Tampa Bay.
   The Tampa Port Authority has since partnered with The Florida Aquarium, Tampa Electric Company (TECO) and others on using the island as a restoration, conservation, and educational outreach center. The project was opened to the public in May 2006.
   'Fantasy Island is a win-win story for the port community and the Tampa Bay area,' port director and CEO Richard Wainio commented. 'This ongoing project and our partnerships with The Florida Aquarium and so many other entities is a real benefit and a tangible example of what can happen when vision and implementation meet with success. The port community and area citizens can be proud of this major environmental stewardship project, and the port authority is delighted that all these efforts have been recognized at the national level.'