New bottlenose dolphin statues at Clearwater Beach will highlight the Republican National Convention.
Fifty dolphin statues will be put on display at the Pier 60 Park starting Monday at 10 a.m.
The six-foot dolphins were painted by local businesses, organizations and individuals to welcome GOP convention visitors and other tourists.
According to organizers, artists took the dolphins and made each their own canvas.
"And we were talking about what we could do that would have a shelf life that everyone could enjoy," said Anita Treiser, the Clearwater Dolphins Project manager. "And that there'd be an end product."
The results have created everything from a space shuttle dolphin, to a submarine dolphin, to a dolphin dressed in the famous orange shorts of a popular Bay area-based wing joint. There's even a dolphin crafted by Clearwater's own star dolphin Winter.
"They're painted, mosaic, all sorts of laminant techniques," said Christopher Hubbard, a Clearwater Cultural Affairs Specialist. "And they have a clear coating on them for the month that they'll be outside."
The artistic pod will be split up after the convention.
Some of the dolphins will go on display at private businesses while others will be auctioned off with funds going to the protection and conservation of wildlife.
The dolphins will be on display at Clearwater Beach through Sept. 4.