Greater Tampa Bay Area Council

Last updated
Greater Tampa Bay Area Council (#089)
Owner Boy Scouts of America
Headquarters Tampa, Florida
CountryUnited States
Founded2016-05-01
Scout ExecutiveMike Butler
Council PresidentBenson Porter
Council CommissionerNick Digirolamo
Website
tampabayscouting.org
WikiProject Scouting fleur-de-lis dark.svg  Scouting portal

Greater Tampa Bay Area Council serves Scouts in West-Central Florida with the council headquarters in Tampa, Florida. Youth are served in the following nine counties: Citrus, Hardee, Hernando, Highlands, Hillsborough, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk and Sumter. [1] Greater Tampa Bay Area Council was formed on May 1, 2016 by the merger of Gulf Ridge Council with West Central Florida Council.

Contents

Organization

The council is split into eight districts: [2]

Flaming Arrow Scout Reservation Flaming Arrow Pictures from Adrian 001.jpg
Flaming Arrow Scout Reservation

Camps

Flaming Arrow Scout Reservation

Flaming Arrow Scout Reservation (FASR) is a 677 acre Boy Scout Camp located in the pine flatwoods outside of Lake Wales, Florida, on the shores of three spring fed lakes.

Sand Hill Scout Reservation

Sign for the entrance to the Sand Hill Scout Reservation in Spring Hill, Florida. Sand Hill Scout Reservation Sign.JPG
Sign for the entrance to the Sand Hill Scout Reservation in Spring Hill, Florida.

Sand Hill Scout Reservation is a Scout camp of over 1,212 acres (4.90 km2) in the west central Florida region, located near Spring Hill, Florida. [3] Sand Hill Scout Reservation belongs to the Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, Varsity Scouts, and Venturers of the Greater Tampa Bay Area Council and is intended for their instruction and enjoyment.

Camp Soule

Sunset over the Camp Soule's dock in Clearwater Florida. LakeChautauquaSunset.jpg
Sunset over the Camp Soule's dock in Clearwater Florida.

Camp Soule serves the Scouting Community in the West Central Florida area. It is located on 50 acres (200,000 m2) of pristine wilderness, in the heart of Clearwater, Florida. It offers protected trees, wildlife, and beauty centered in the most populous county of Florida. Camp Soule offers four improved campsites (with Adirondack shelters, latrines, and showers), six primitive campsites, a dining hall, trading post, large activity fields, Olympic-size swimming pool, pool house, BB gun range, Cub Scout and Boy Scout archery ranges, two cabins, Council campfire ring, chapel, and a full time ranger on property. [4]

Camp Bigfoot

Bigfoot Wilderness Camp (BWC) is a hidden gem at Green Swamp, east of Dade City, Florida. It is located within a 30,000-acre (120 km2) wildlife preserve owned by the State of Florida - Southwest Florida Water Management District. The facility includes a 1,200-square-foot (110 m2) cabin with electricity and indoor plumbing on the banks of the Withlacoochee River, two small box stoves for heating, showers both indoor and outdoor, a campfire area, an outhouse latrine and four adjacent primitive patrol campsites. There are 5-mile (8.0 km), 8-mile (13 km), and 10-mile (16 km) hiking loops starting and ending at the cabin. These loops intersect with segments of the Florida National Scenic Trail which extends over 35 miles (56 km) to the north and 10 miles (16 km) to the south.

Camp Owen J Brorein

Camp Brorein waterfront on Little Moon Lake Littlemoonlake.jpg
Camp Brorein waterfront on Little Moon Lake

Centrally located in the Hillsborough County community of Odessa, Camp Brorein is the Council’s oldest camping facility. Located in Odessa Florida, this camp has been dedicated to the advancement of Scouting from its founding in 1923.

Camp Alafia

Camp Alafia is a primitive camp near Lithia and east of Tampa in Hillsborough County. The property is bounded to the west by the Alafia River and contains several campsites beneath an oak canopy.

Order of the Arrow

Uh-To-Yeh-Hut-Tee Lodge

Uh-To-Yeh-Hut-Tee Lodge 89
OwnerGreater Tampa Bay Area Council
Founded2016
Website
uhtoyehhuttee.org
WikiProject Scouting fleur-de-lis dark.svg  Scouting portal

Uh-To-Yeh-Hut-Tee Lodge #89 is the Greater Tampa Bay Area Council's Order of the Arrow lodge, one of eight in Section E-5 covering the state of Florida (except the Panhandle).

Uh-To-Yeh-Hut-Tee Lodge 89 was formed in 2016 with the merger of Seminole Lodge 85 and Timuquan Lodge 340. The merger was effective during the weekend of August 5 – 7, 2016. The transition team chose the name, which means lighting, and the totem, which is the Bull. Uh-To-Yeh-Hut-Tee Lodge has been serving the Greater Tampa Bay Area Council and local communities since 2016.

The lodge is organized into six chapters corresponding to the Council's districts:

Pre-Merger OA Lodges

Seminole Lodge

Seminole Lodge was an Order of the Arrow lodge associated with the Gulf Ridge Council, located in West-Central Florida. [5]

Chartered in 1936 while under the name Kiondashama, the lodge name was changed to Seminole by September, 1938. [6] Seminole is the name of a Native American people whose original homelands included portions of Florida.

In 1951 Seminole Lodge lost its charter, but just one year later they were once again active. Seminole was the oldest lodge in the section and at the time of the merger was celebrating its 80th Anniversary. The lodge has had one member serve as national chief in 2003, Nick Digirolamo.

Timuquan Lodge

The West Central Florida Council's Order of the Arrow Lodge was Timuquan Lodge 340, founded in 1946 [7] and was named in honor of the extinct Timucua Native American tribe of northern and central Florida.

The first Brotherhood members of Timuquan Lodge were Selwyn Fuller, Joe Reed, Roger W Irving and Charles Martin. [8]

At the time of the merger Timuquan Lodge was celebrating its 70th anniversary.

See also

Related Research Articles

Scouting in Florida is composed of Boy Scouts of America (BSA) and Girl Scouts USA (GSUSA) local councils in Florida. Scouting in Florida has a long history, from the 1910s to the present day, serving thousands of youth in programs that suit the environment in which they live.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scouting in Alabama</span> Aspect of history

Scouting in Alabama has a long history, from the 1910s to the present day, serving thousands of youth in programs that suit the environment in which they live.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scouting in Illinois</span> Scouting in Illinois

Scouting in Illinois has served youth since 1909. The state was the home of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) founder, William D. Boyce.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scouting in Ohio</span>

Scouting in Ohio has a long history, from the 1908 to the present day, serving thousands of youth in programs that suit the environment in which they live.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greater St. Louis Area Council</span>

The Greater Saint Louis Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America was formed in 1911 and is based in St. Louis, Missouri. The council serves Scouts in the St. Louis Metro area, southeast Missouri, and southern and central Illinois.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pinellas</span>

Pinellas is the name of a peninsula located roughly halfway down the west coast of Florida. It forms the western boundary of Tampa Bay and comprises the bulk of Pinellas County. There is a city named Pinellas Park in south Pinellas. The peninsula is bounded on the north by Pasco County, Florida, on the northeast by Hillsborough County, and on the east and south by Tampa Bay. It is bounded on the west by the Intracoastal Waterway and the Gulf of Mexico. The Pinellas peninsula connects to the south with Manatee County via the Sunshine Skyway Bridge and connects with Hillsborough County on the east via the Courtney Campbell Causeway, the Howard Frankland Bridge, and the Gandy Bridge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Central Florida Council</span> Scouting organization in Florida, USA

The Central Florida Council serves Boy Scouts in Orange, Osceola, Seminole, Lake, Brevard, Volusia and Flagler Counties in Florida. Its headquarters was previously located in Orlando, Florida and is currently located in Apopka, Florida, just north of Orlando. Its primary Scout camp is Camp La-No-Che in Paisley, Florida, adjacent to the Ocala National Forest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southwest Florida Water Management District</span> Regional governmental district in Florida, United States

The Southwest Florida Water Management District, is one of five regional agencies directed by Florida state law to protect and preserve water resources. Established in 1961 the agency operates and maintains several large properties and flood protection projects, sometimes with other agencies. The District's responsibilities have expanded to include managing water supply and protecting water quality and the natural systems — rivers, lakes, wetlands and associated uplands.The District's stated mission is to protect water resources, minimize flood risks and ensure the public’s water needs are met.

Gulf Ridge Council served Scouts in west-central Florida with the council headquarters in Tampa, Florida. Youth were served in the following eight counties: Citrus, Hardee, Hernando, Highlands, Hillsborough, Pasco, Polk, and Sumter.

The Great Lakes Field Service Council was a field service council of the Michigan Crossroads Council, a local council of the Boy Scouts of America. It served the Detroit metropolitan area and covers all of Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties. The council had eight districts, one council service center, and four camp properties.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seneca Waterways Council</span>

Seneca Waterways Council (SWC) is a local council of the Boy Scouts of America that serves youth in Ontario, Wayne, Seneca, Yates, and Monroe Counties in Western New York. The current Council President is Ted Orr. The current Council Scout Executive is Stephen Hoitt.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gulf Stream Council</span> Boy scouts area council

Gulf Stream Council is a council of the Boy Scouts of America in southeast Florida with the headquarters in Palm Beach Gardens. Founded in 1914, the Gulf Stream Council serves Scouts in Palm Beach, Martin, St. Lucie, Indian River, Okeechobee, Glades and Hendry counties. Throughout its area, it serves over 24,000 youth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Florida Council</span>

The North Florida Council is a local council of the Boy Scouts of America that oversees Scouting in 17 counties of northeast Florida. Through almost 3,000 volunteers the council serves over 7,000 youth in over 327 units. The North Florida Council owns, maintains and operates two camps: Camp Echockotee on Doctors Lake in Orange Park, and Camp Shands near Hawthorne.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West Central Florida Council</span>

West Central Florida Council was the former Boy Scouts of America Council serving Pinellas County and west Pasco County in Florida, between 1917–2016. It merged with Gulf Ridge Council to form the Greater Tampa Bay Area Council on May 1, 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Florida Council</span>

The South Florida Council is a 501(c)(3) organization chartered by the Boy Scouts of America to serve Broward, Miami-Dade, and Monroe Counties in South Florida. As of 2022, the South Florida Council had a membership of more than 20,000 youth and adults in traditional and in-school and after-school programs. The South Florida Council is Platinum rated charity by Guidestar and a Four out of Four-star rated charity by Charity Navigator.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southwest Florida Council</span>

Southwest Florida Council serves Charlotte, Collier, Lee, Manatee, Sarasota and parts of DeSoto and Hendry counties. The Southwest Florida Council was chartered in July 1968, and based on membership and units, it ranks 46th out of 306 councils in the United States. The Southwest Florida Council is a geographic area divided into four districts: Alligator, Manatee, Panther, and Two Rivers. The council has an executive board of volunteers and a staff of professionals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Water and Woods Field Service Council</span>

Water and Woods Field Service Council was a field service council of the Michigan Crossroads Council that served youth in the central and northeastern Lower Peninsula of Michigan. The Council was headquartered in Flint, Michigan, with service centers located in Auburn, Lansing, and Port Huron. The Water and Woods Field Service Council was the result of a merger in 2012 of Lake Huron Area Council, Blue Water Council, Tall Pine Council and Chief Okemos Council.

The Bay-Lakes Council is the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) council serving eastern Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Headquartered in Appleton, Wisconsin, it is geographically one of the largest local BSA councils. Bay-Lakes Council #635 was formed on July 1, 1973, the product of a merger between six east Wisconsin councils. The council is served by Kon Wapos Lodge #635 of the Order of the Arrow.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Safety Harbor culture</span> Archaeological culture practiced by Native Americans living on the central Gulf coast Florida

The Safety Harbor culture was an archaeological culture practiced by Native Americans living on the central Gulf coast of the Florida peninsula, from about 900 CE until after 1700. The Safety Harbor culture is defined by the presence of Safety Harbor ceramics in burial mounds. The culture is named after the Safety Harbor site, which is close to the center of the culture area. The Safety Harbor site is the probable location of the chief town of the Tocobaga, the best known of the groups practicing the Safety Harbor culture.

The Great Sauk Trail Council is a defunct local council of the Boy Scouts of America which was based out of Ann Arbor, Michigan serving Livingston County, Washtenaw County, Jackson County, Lenawee County, Hillsdale County, Monroe County, Eastern Calhoun County, and the city of Flat Rock, in Michigan.

References

  1. "Gulf Ridge Council". Archived from the original on 2011-06-28. Retrieved June 28, 2011.
  2. "Council Districts". Greater Tampa Bay Area Council. Boy Scouts of America.
  3. Jones, Jamie (2003-08-03). "Boy Scout center will honor teen". Tampa Bay Times.
  4. "Camp Soule". Greater Tampa Bay Area Council. Boy Scouts of America.
  5. "Seminole Lodge". Archived from the original on 2011-07-09. Retrieved June 28, 2011.
  6. "85 Seminole - The Internet Guide to Order of the Arrow Insignia Website" . Retrieved February 16, 2022.
  7. "340 Timuquan - The Internet Guide to Order of the Arrow Insignia Website" . Retrieved February 16, 2022.
  8. "St Petersburg Times Archives from Nov 20 1949" . Retrieved February 24, 2022.