Manatees

Starting Nov. 1, visitors can check out the manatees as they seek refuge in TECO's warm waters in Apollo Beach.

The lawsuit came after a record 1,100 manatees died in 2021 in Florida, many because a lack of seagrass — a key food source — led to starvation. The most deaths, 358, were in Brevard County, which includes a large part of the Indian River Lagoon.

The revised Florida map adds Silver Springs, Tampa Bay and Withlacoochee Bay.

In this episode, we’re talking about Bob Graham’s environmental legacy - including his efforts to protect wild places like the Everglades and other waterways - and wildlife, like the manatee.

In this episode, we’re talking about Bob Graham’s environmental legacy - including his efforts to protect wild places like the Everglades and other waterways - and wildlife, like the manatee.

ZooTampa said Juliet was one of the oldest known manatees. She and another manatee were transferred from Miami Seaquarium in December.

The lawsuit would be the latest legal move intended to protect the threatened sea cows, whose numbers have been decimated in recent years.

More than half of Florida manatees rely on power plants to survive. That’s a problem for addressing climate change.

So far this year, state wildlife officials have recorded 83 deaths across the state through Feb. 9. That figure roughly tracks the number of deaths from the same period last year but is significantly better than 2021 or 2022, when more than 200 manatees died during the same period of about five weeks. Overall, Florida averages more than 700 deaths per year.

Nearly 1,000 manatees gathered at Blue Spring State Park in Volusia County on one of the coldest winter days of the season. Here's why the growing number of manatees at the park is encouraging.

Nutrient buildup from runoff, increased development and septic systems have led to harmful algal blooms in Indian River Lagoon. These blooms then decimate the seagrass, which is the manatee’s food source.

Wildlife officials say a two-year experimental feeding program for starving Florida manatees will not immediately resume this winter as conditions have improved for the threatened marine mammals and the seagrass on which they depend.