Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Manatee Conservation topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
FWC outlines manatee rescue numbers, warm‑water habitat plan and long‑term risks
Summary
FWC briefed the subcommittee on manatee conservation, citing current rescue totals, statewide abundance estimates (8,000–11,000) and a Warm Water Habitat Action Plan focused on restoring springs and developing non‑industry‑dependent warm water sites as power plants transition.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission told the Agriculture & Natural Resources Budget Subcommittee that manatee conservation relies on rescue capacity, habitat protection and planning for changes in warm‑water sites as industrial discharges shift.
George Worthen, FWC chief conservation officer, told the committee that the agency and partners operate rescue and rehabilitation systems and that, so far in 2025, there have been 97 successful live manatee rescues. He said statewide abundance surveys conducted in 2021–22 support an estimated population range of roughly 8,000 to more than 11,000 manatees.
Worthen said threats include habitat loss, vessel strikes, entrapment and cold stress. He summarized the role of the Florida Manatee Sanctuary Act and the Manatee Trust Fund, and described 67 known primary and secondary warm‑water sites used by manatees. He added that more than half the population currently relies on thermal discharges from coastal power plants during winter, and warned that conversions of those plants could reduce available warm water.
The agency described the Warm Water Habitat Action Plan (initially developed in 2004 and updated in 2020) as guiding restoration and regional network strategies: enhancing springs and passive thermal basins, creating new non‑industry‑dependent warm‑water sites (Worthen cited the Port of the Isles project as an example), and prioritizing monitoring and long‑term planning. Worthen said these steps aim to minimize dependence on facilities that require long‑term funding and maintenance.
Members asked for data and measures. Representative Alvarez asked whether boat strikes or violations of manatee slow zones had increased; Worthen said current mortality figures this year are roughly on par with prior years (outside of unusual mortality events) and offered to provide collision and enforcement statistics. Representative Bartleman asked about the 2010s‑era unusual mortality event and the emergency feeding program used at that time; Worthen said the unusual event has been closed and that targeted feeding (locally sourced lettuce) was an emergency measure in some counties but is not routine practice.
Worthen said the agency does not have a direct manatee budget request in this presentation but that typical recurring funding and targeted restoration projects (for springs and warm‑water sites) remain priorities. He offered to provide committees with metrics and prioritization criteria for projects and monitoring.
The committee requested follow‑up documentation and data on manatee collisions, mortality trends and warm‑water site prioritization; no formal votes or new appropriations were taken at the meeting.
