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Melbourne Beach commission OKs immediate emergency funds to free manatee trapped in stormwater box
Summary
The Melbourne Beach Town Commission unanimously approved up to $30,000 in immediate emergency spending — with authorization to seek up to $60,000 by a second vote — to extract a live manatee trapped in a stormwater baffle box at Oak and Riverview. Brevard County, Florida wildlife responders and SeaWorld staff are assisting.
The Melbourne Beach Town Commission on an emergency call unanimously approved immediate emergency spending of up to $30,000 to extract a live manatee trapped in a stormwater baffle box and to repair the road, with authority to return for a second vote to increase the cap to $60,000 if necessary.
Town Manager Amari Smith told the commission that surveyors found the animal around 2:30–3:00 a.m. inside a large baffle box at Basin 10 near Oak and Riverview. "They found a manatee in one of the stormwater management pipes," Smith said, estimating the animal at "about 1,200 pounds, about at least 9 feet long." She said the manatee likely crawled into the box seeking warmer water after a recent cold snap and became trapped.
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