Hillsborough's 62nd Veterans Day Tribute leads Wednesday's salute to Tampa-area veterans

TAMPA - Hillsborough County will salute veterans of every era Wednesday, Nov. 11, with its 62nd Annual Veterans Day Tribute, a free outdoor ceremony at Veterans Memorial Park, and several Tampa attractions are opening their doors free to those who served.

The tribute starts at 10 a.m. on the grounds of Veterans Memorial Park & Rear Admiral LeRoy Collins, Jr. Veterans Museum, 3602 N. U.S. 301, according to the county. It is hosted by the county's Veteran Community Services and the Veterans Council of Hillsborough County, and admission and parking are free, according to the county's event page.

This year's ceremony marks America's 250th anniversary, the county said. The program includes a JROTC color guard, the Veterans Council Awards and a sing-along salute to every branch of the military. Special guests include retired U.S. Coast Guard Rear Adm. Steve Poulin and retired U.S. Army Col. Roland Tiso. Refreshments follow, along with resources for veterans and military families from James A. Haley Veterans' Hospital, the YMCA Military Program and Hillsborough County Veteran Community Services.

For the 10th year in a row, the national Veterans Day Committee of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has named the park an official Regional Veterans Day Site, the county said. The park is free and open daily from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., and visitors are encouraged to tour its monuments, including the new Buffalo Soldiers Memorial and the Gold Star Memorial.

Citing VA figures as of September 2026, the county said Hillsborough has more veterans than any other Florida county, 94,334, with a local economic impact of $1.4 billion.

At The Florida Aquarium, 701 Channelside Drive, active-duty service members, veterans, retired or drilling reservists, National Guard members and honorably or medically discharged service members get free admission from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday, the Aquarium said. Tickets are redeemed in person at the ticket window with a valid U.S. military ID or DD Form 214, and no reservation is needed.

The Aquarium's day includes Haley's Harmonica Vets, a group of three disabled veterans that began at James A. Haley Veterans' Hospital, from 10 to 11 a.m., and two musicians from the Tampa chapter of Guitars for Vets from 1 to 4 p.m., both in the Queue Garden. Costumed divers will wave American flags in the Coral Reef habitat from 9:15 to 10:15 a.m., 1 to 1:30 p.m. and 1:45 to 2:15 p.m.

In Ybor City, the Florida Museum of Photographic Arts, 1630 E. Seventh Ave., is offering veterans free admission all day Wednesday, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., according to the museum's event listing.

County offices are closed for the holiday, according to the county's events calendar. City of Tampa offices are also closed Wednesday, the city said. Residential garbage pickup doesn't run on Wednesdays, commercial collection continues as normal, and the McKay Bay Transfer Station and Scale House at 114 S. 34th St. is closed and reopens Thursday, Nov. 12. New Tampa residents should call Hillsborough County Solid Waste Management at (813) 272-5680 for their schedule.

One longtime tradition won't return: the organizers of the Tampa Bay Veterans Parade, held in Town 'N' Country since 1993, say on their website that the parade is on permanent hiatus because they couldn't keep enough staff to meet their safety standards.

For more on the county tribute, call Veteran Community Services at (813) 635-8316.

Source: Hillsborough County release on the 62nd Annual Veterans Day Tribute (Oct. 14; opened Nov. 10); Hillsborough County events calendar (opened Nov. 10); Hillsborough County event page: Annual Veterans Day Tribute (opened Nov. 10); Florida Aquarium release (Nov. 9; opened Nov. 10); Florida Museum of Photographic Arts event listing (opened Nov. 10); City of Tampa Veterans Day collection schedule (Nov. 6; opened Nov. 10); Tampa Bay Veterans Parade organizer's site (opened Nov. 10).