Missing manatee speed zone signs spark wildlife safety concerns

FORT MYERS BEACH, Fla. — Jerry Hiser loves spending sunny days boating in Southwest Florida.

"The best thing about boating, if you want peace and quiet, you go out by yourself, or you take your lovely wife, and you go out and hang out," said Hiser.

Hiser enjoys catching fish and spotting the local wildlife.

"We go out and catch fish, and then we see dolphins, lots of dolphins here, and turtles," said Hiser.

One of his favorite sights on the water is the manatees.

"They're big, gentle creatures. They look very old, even though they're young," said Hiser.

However, Hiser is concerned about the safety of these gentle giants.

"It's supposed to be a minimum wake here, and then there'll be boats come through that that are just washing these boats here right up further up on the beach, or rocking them really hard," said Hiser.

Hiser has noticed that some boaters ignore no-wake zones.

"They don't care, though. We can yell at them, whistle, and they just plow right along. If you sat here long enough, you're going to see it happen," said Hiser.

Ranger Rob Howell, from Keep It Wild, explained that signs indicating boat speed zones are sometimes missing.

"We have signs all over southwest Florida that indicate boat speed zones and what you can and can't be doing out there, different departments, whether it's Coast Guard or local sheriff or Florida Fish and Wildlife," said Howell.

Howell noted that the missing signs are a significant issue, especially with manatee season approaching. 

Lee County told WINK News all the manatee speed zone signs it is responsible for have been replaced. The U.S. Coast Guard told Bruchalski more than 30 signs the federal government is responsible for need to be replaced or repaired in southwest Florida. There is no timeline right now, as every sign is unique to each waterway.

"Some things have, I think, got lost through the cracks, and these signs, frankly, is one of those things, and I hope it's time to get them fixed, because manatee season is starting up, where they migrate, and they need all the help they can get," said Howell.

Still, Hiser remains philosophical about the manatees' fate.

"They're creatures of the water. I mean, everything doesn't live forever," he added.