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One of my favorite things about Tampa International Airport (TPA) is the giant flamingo created by Matthew Mazzotta and titled Home. The 21-foot flamingo bids me goodbye and welcomes me home every time I am at the airport. While the installation is known as Home, locals know the flamingo as Phoebe.
IT'S SOMEBODY'S BIRD-THDAY! 🦩 Today, our giant flamingo turns 2. Join us in wishing Phoebe a VERY happy 2nd birthday! 🥳 pic.twitter.com/sxCvvgRKzL
— Tampa International Airport ✈️ (@FlyTPA) August 25, 2024
The airport launched a contest in November 2022 asking passengers to come up with a name for the big bird. Over 65,000 entries were received and three finalists were chosen. The possible names included: Phoebe, Cora, and Finn. Phoebe received 16,122 votes, Cora came in second at14,341 votes, and Finn finished in third place with 6,779 votes.
J. Bryan M., a retired educator from Daytona Beach Shores won the contest. He chose Phoebe because:
[it’s] a play on Phoenicopterus – the flamingo’s scientific name ‘Phoebe’ is also a playful alliterative to flamingo and means brilliantly inquisitive. The overall ‘Home’ sculpture is literally brilliant and reveals the flamingo’s inquisitiveness as it hunts for food in the shallows.”
Anthony’s Take: Whether you call her Home or Phoebe or simply the giant flamingo, I’m happy that Tampa International Airport (TPA) has this installation and I’ll continue to enjoy seeing it each time I pass through. Happy Birthday!
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Advertiser & Editorial Disclosure: The Bulkhead Seat earns an affiliate commission for anyone approved through the links above This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. We work to provide the best publicly available offers to our readers. We frequently update them, but this site does not include all available offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities.
