ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — At the Sunken Gardens in St. Petersburg, there are plenty of things to see, but one of the most popular might be their resident flamingos. And no one knows that better than the garden director Dwyane Biggs.

Biggs first started at the Gardens more than four years ago after a long and successful career working at zoos and aquariums across the country.

He previously worked in Miami as the director of animal collections, and prior to that, had a long-running gig at the Pittsburgh Zoo in charge of aquatic life.  

All of that set him up for success to run and director operations at the historic Sunken Gardens.

“Sunken Gardens are historical gardens right here in the heart of St. Pete. And its been around since 1934 when they first opened their doors,” Biggs said. “It was created by George Turner, a plumber here in Florida who really transformed the gardens into what they are today.”

Today, the gardens are still thriving from when they originally opened nearly 100 years ago. Turner took what was once swamp land and turned it into the lush tropical gardens you can see today. The gardens encompass four-acres and are home to lush plant life, including more than 500 species of tropical and subtropical plants.

“This place really is known as an original roadside attraction, and we don’t have that many of them left in the state of Florida,” he said. “So having this place still exist is pretty special.”

He hopes they will preserve and share the history of the gardens for many more years to come, welcoming visitors into the world of the Sunken Gardens.  

The Sunken Gardens are open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.