Manatee rescued near Orange Harbor amid Lee County deaths

FORT MYERS, Fla. — A manatee was rescued near Orange Harbor Mobile Co-op on Tuesday after being found in distress, as Lee County grapples with the deaths of 25 manatees possibly caused by cold stress.

"The animal was very thin and was on its side, not able to dive down," said Denise Boyd, an assistant research scientist for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

Boyd said the agency received a call Tuesday morning from someone at Manatee Park about a manatee in distress.

"The animal on our way was in the fenced-off area of Manatee Park, where we couldn't access. We saw this one, so we did rescue it, and then the other ones we are going to prioritize for tomorrow," Boyd said.

Boyd said the adult female manatee they rescued was swimming near the State Road 80 Bridge.

Tuesday's rescue included FWC, the Lee County Sheriff's Office, and ZooTampa.

"The big thing for rescuing an animal is that it takes a lot of folks," Boyd said.

Fox 4's Allie Kaiser asked Boyd whether the rescue was connected to the 25 manatee deaths in Lee County that were possibly caused by cold stress.

"It's too early to say what this is related to. Our job is to triage all those calls about and those reports about manatees that are either deceased or distressed," Boyd said.

Bill Michals, vice president of Orange Harbor Mobile Home Co-op — where the manatee was removed from — said he feels like something is different this year.

"This year, we seem to have more. I don't know if that's more happening here specifically or they're just being removed from here," Michals said.

As Fox 4 has reported, FWC is also examining whether an unplanned shutdown at the Florida Power & Light power plant near Manatee Park may be connected to the manatee deaths and recent rescues.

FWC has confirmed the plant experienced an unplanned shutdown. The facility typically discharges warm water into nearby waterways, water that wildlife experts say is critical for manatees during cold weather.

While FWC says it is investigating, the agency has not answered Fox 4’s questions about the timeline of the shutdown.

Fox 4 also reached out to Florida Power & Light. In a statement, the company said, “Out of respect for the Florida Wildlife Commission’s ongoing investigation, we are referring all questions to the agency.”

Under the Manatee Protection Plan tied to the plant’s operating permit, federal wildlife officials must be notified within four hours of a shutdown affecting warm-water discharges.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service told Fox 4 it was notified of an emergency shutdown on February 5 at 3:43 p.m.

When asked whether the agency was also notified when the plant restarted operations, the Service referred Fox 4 back to FPL for details.

As a result, it remains unclear how long the plant may not have been supplying warm water to manatees.

The Manatee Protection Plan posted on the Lee County website states that Florida Power & Light must notify the Florida Department of Environmental Protection in the event of a shutdown.

However, FDEP told Fox 4 that reference is a clerical error, and that FPL is required to notify FWC, not the department.

On Wednesday, FWC is expected to release its manatee mortality update, which could provide a clearer picture of how many manatees have died and the causes.

You can find more information on the manatee deaths here.

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