25 manatees reported dead in Lee County waters since Friday

FORT MYERS, Fla. — Multiple manatees were found dead Thursday morning at Manatee Park in Fort Myers, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

The park was closed Thursday morning as crews removed the manatees from the water, and the park reopened Thursday afternoon.

FWC said it has seen an increase in reports of dead manatees in the Orange River and surrounding areas. A spokesperson told Fox 4 that between Feb. 13 and Feb. 18, approximately 25 manatee deaths were reported in Lee County.

FWC said initial observations suggest cold stress may be a contributing factor, but the investigation is ongoing.

According to numbers posted earlier this week by FWC, 18 manatees had died in Lee County since January 1 of this year.

There have been 85 deaths in the state of Florida this year.

In 2025 there were 143 manatee deaths reported, a large majority of those were not
necropsied, but 26 of those were from cold stress.

FWC asks anyone who sees an injured, distressed, or deceased manatee to report it to the Wildlife Alert Hotline at 888-404-FWCC (3922) so trained responders can assist.

Fox 4’s Hunter Walterman is working on this story and will have more details as they become available.