Environmental board backs gathering data, moves to draft letter supporting local slow-speed (manatee) zone for Stephenson Creek

The Clearwater Environmental Advisory Board voted May 14 to ask staff to draft a letter of support for pursuing a local-government manatee slow-speed zone in Stephenson Creek following a feasibility presentation and sustained public comment.

The board’s action followed a presentation by Stacy Roberts of First Line Coastal, who reviewed a study comparing three approaches: a boating-restricted area, a state-level manatee protection zone, and a local-government manatee slow-speed zone enforceable by city ordinance. "For a local government manatee slow-speed zone, the criteria are the same as a state zone, but the process can be implemented by the city and requires approval by FWC," Roberts said.

The feasibility study recommended the local-government slow-speed option as the most viable path for Clearwater, while flagging key data gaps: limited vessel-traffic records inside the creek, insufficient seagrass/submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) surveys within the creek boundaries, and sparse aerial manatee-survey coverage in the small, tidally influenced segment. Roberts recommended targeted, lower-cost alternatives including bathymetric surveys, seagrass surveys and structured citizen-science programs in lieu of heavy aerial or county-scale vessel-traffic studies. She estimated a data-collection and review process of roughly two years.

Why it matters: Stephenson Creek is a 3.2-mile watershed with about 1–1.5 miles of tidally influenced navigable water that opens into Clearwater Harbor. The creek was dredged in 2014 in a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers ecosystem restoration project; the presentation said the dredge removed roughly 90,000 cubic yards of muck and about 10,000 cubic yards of sediment. The creek remains listed as impaired largely for bacteria indicators even though other water-quality metrics have improved since 2007. The presence of manatees and recent mortality records in the region were cited as reasons to consider additional protections.

Board and public discussion focused on three lines of concern: (1) what data FWC and other agencies require to approve a zone, (2) the practicality and cost of data collection, and (3) the pace of nearby development that could change conditions before a multi-year rulemaking finishes. Roberts warned that adding Stephenson Creek to a state FWC rule could open the county-wide rule to review and prolong the process, which is why the local ordinance path was preferred.

Members of the citizen-led Stephenson Creek Advisory Group and residents pressed the board to move forward. Ami Trukenberg of the Stephenson Creek Advisory Group said the group has been documenting manatee sightings and boat activity and is coordinating with Save the Manatee Club. "Manatees now are present year round," Trukenberg said, adding the group will deploy signage and camera counts and collect sightings data.

Sherry Day, also with the advisory group, described concerns about an ongoing permit process for new private docks near the creek mouth and said permit applicants made a payment to a conservation nonprofit as part of the permitting review. "If it was a manatee-protected area, the docks would have been forbidden by FDEP rules," Day said, urging stronger local protections.

Riparian resident Michael Foley, who addressed the board during public comment, urged the board to press for designation as a manatee zone, saying the creek is an estuary that has benefited from restoration work and should not be opened to development that would reverse gains.

Formal action: Chairman Jared Leone moved and Board member Kelly Daven seconded a motion that the board draft a letter of support for pursuing a local-government manatee slow-speed zone and for initiating the targeted data collection recommended in the feasibility study. The motion passed on a voice vote with no recorded roll-call. The board directed staff to coordinate with FWC and relevant partners, to encourage structured citizen-science protocols acceptable to FWC, and to request that city staff bring a draft letter of support for the board’s review.

What comes next: Roberts and members of the advisory group urged councils and staff to start the data-collection conversation with FWC and to consider lower-cost citizen-science and targeted surveys (bathymetry and seagrass reconnaissance) as immediate first steps. The board discussed drafting a community letter and asked staff to return with a draft.

Context and limits: The board’s vote was to draft a letter of support; it did not adopt an ordinance or change regulations. Roberts cautioned that state-level rulemaking historically takes years (she cited past examples that took about four years) and that expanding a state rule could invite broader county-wide review. The presentation also noted that some seagrass and manatee surveys available at the county or regional level did not explicitly include Stephenson Creek, leaving uncertainty about habitat use in creek limits.

Ending: Board members and advisory-group speakers emphasized continued local monitoring, interagency coordination (including FWC, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Pinellas County), and the use of citizen science to fill data gaps while formal processes proceed.