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One of the coolest additions to 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.
The airport launched a contest in November asking passengers to come up with a name for the big bird. The winner would not only get to name the flamingo, but would also receive the following prizes:
- Four nonstop, roundtrip tickets on Silver Airways
- A VIP Experience package to Busch Gardens, including four single-day admission tickets, four All Day-Dining passes, four Quick Queue Unlimited passes, and preferred parking
- A chance to attend the reveal event for the flamingo’s new name in TPA’s Main Terminal
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.
(Image Credits: Tampa International Airport.)
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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.