Shell Museum Lecture Discussing ‘The Future of Florida’s Coasts’

provided to The Santiva Chronicle

The 2026 Season Lecture Series presented by the Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum & Aquarium continues with “The Future of Florida’s Coasts: What We Can Learn from the History of Tampa Bay,” led by Dr. Evan Bennett, Florida Atlantic University.

The presentation will be at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 8, at the museum, 3075 Sanibel Captiva Rd.

From pollution to development to cultural loss, challenges loom for those who live on Florida’s coasts. The history of Tampa Bay provides a great model for how Floridians can move forward. Seemingly doomed both ecologically and culturally by the 1970s, Tampa Bay has rebounded and today is a healthy estuary and site of vibrant cultural developments.

This talk illuminates that story, and the efforts of determined people and organizations who committed to saving the bay and its sustainability as a place and resource for all.

Dr. Bennett is a Professor of History at Florida Atlantic University. His most recent book is Tampa Bay: The Story of an Estuary and Its People (University Press of Florida, 2024). It won the Silver Medal in Florida Nonfiction from the Florida Book Awards and the Stetson Kennedy Prize from the Florida Historical Society.

The cost to attend the lecture is $10 per person, and museum members are free. Registration is required and includes a choice of wine, beer, non-alcoholic beverage, and light snacks. Register here, where you can also view a free archive of previously recorded online lectures.

The 2026 Season Lecture Series is supported by the Sam and Francis Bailey Clean Water Education Center, Joan and Don Sherman, and Leslie Fleischner.

About the Museum: The Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum & Aquarium is a natural history museum and aquarium, and the only museum in the United States devoted primarily to shells and mollusks. Its mission is to educate and inspire an understanding of mollusks, their shells, and their habitats using exceptional experiences, collections, and science. Permanent exhibitions on view include the Great Hall of Shells, which displays highlights of the Museum’s collection of more than 600,000 shells, as well as the Living Gallery of Aquariums and over 60 species of marine life. For more information, please visit ShellMuseum.org or call (239) 395-2233.