ORANGE CITY, Fla. – Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday announced the manatee population in Florida appears to be on the rebound.
The governor said there was a record number of manatees at a Central Florida state park this winter following the state’s efforts to address mortality rates.
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In 2005, DeSantis said researchers found just 14 manatees spending the winter in the warmer waters of Blue Springs State Park in Orange City. Those numbers have increased over the years to about 200 this winter and on Jan. 21, a new record was set when 932 manatees gathered in the spring. DeSantis said a record was also set at the Tampa Electric manatee viewing center with 1,100 manatees.
“So these increased numbers didn’t just happen by accident. Years ago, we were experiencing significant mortality in the manatee population. This required us to act working with the legislature and working with our state agencies. We did take swift action not only fun research and rescue centers, but also to make even larger investments in water quality to restore and preserve the seagrass that manatees feed on,” DeSantis said.
The large marine mammals have been dying at alarming rates in recent years, mostly due to starvation.
Around 1,100 manatees died in 2021 and the deaths continued in 2022, with at least 780 manatee deaths reported that year, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. The 2021 deaths represented 13% of all manatees estimated to live in Florida waters.
