With Blue Springs State Park as the backdrop, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis hosted a press conference earlier today to raise awareness about the state’s successful efforts to protect manatees.
Last month, Blue Spring State Park saw a record 932 manatees seeking warm waters in the spring, beating their previous record of 736 manatees. During the press conference, DeSantis announced that in 2023, Florida manatees had the lowest mortality rate since 2017. He credited a portion of the decrease to various manatee protection programs that have received more than $50 million in funding since he was first inaugurated in 2019. DeSantis also highlighted $1.8 billion in water quality improvements during that same span.
“Florida’s manatee population continues to strengthen because of our record investments in manatee protection programs and water quality improvements,” DeSantis said. “I am grateful for FWC for their proactive rescue and rehabilitation efforts.”
Roger Young, Executive Director of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, praised the governor’s leadership on the issue.
“Under Governor DeSantis’ leadership, over $30 million in the Fiscal Year 2022–2023 budget was allocated to enhance and expand manatee rescue and rehabilitation efforts and provide habitat restoration for areas where manatees are highly concentrated,” Young said. “We are grateful for his continued dedication to providing resources for manatee care and rehabilitation.”
“Clean, sustainable water resources are critical for Florida’s residents, visitors, economy and manatees,“ said Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Shawn Hamilton. “Because of Governor DeSantis’ vision and leadership, along with the support of the Florida Legislature, the state is seeing incredible momentum for environmental protection to ensure Florida’s natural resources are preserved for generations to come.”
Since 2019, Governor DeSantis has approved more than $50 million for manatee protection, expanding and enhancing manatee rescue and rehabilitation efforts and providing habitat restoration for areas where manatees are highly concentrated. Additionally, Florida has invested $325 million to restore Florida’s world-renowned springs which serve as an important manatee habitat when the animals seek warmer waters in the wintertime.
Governor DeSantis has also prioritized investments in water quality across the state, approving more than $1.8 billion for water quality improvement projects since 2019. This includes more than $163 million dedicated to projects in the Indian River Lagoon on the east coast of Florida, which is home to thousands of manatees.
In DeSantis’ Focus on Florida’s Future Budget Proposal, he has called for more than $330 million to continue targeted water quality improvements. This includes $100 million for a second year to continue the Indian River Lagoon protection program. Additionally, the governor has proposed $9.5 million to continue Florida’s successful manatee protection.
