Injured manatees, sea turtle found in waters near Fort Myers Beach after suspected boat strikes

FORT MYERS BEACH, Fla. —

A pregnant manatee was killed after a suspected boat strike near Fort Myers Beach, and calls have been renewed for boaters to slow down in the back bay.

Wildlife advocates say the death is part of a growing concern in the waters between Bowditch Point and Matanzas Pass, where slow-speed zones are posted, but people who work on the water say too many boaters are still speeding through.

Ranger Rob Howell, a naturalist with Keep It Wild Inc., helped recover two dead manatees from local waters this month, along with a sea turtle that also appeared to have been hit by a boat.

“Pulling it out was heartbreaking,” Howell said. “And then just the next week, you know, another manatee. You're either not watching or not paying attention, going too fast, and the manatees are paying the price.”

Photos shared with Gulf Coast News show visible propeller cuts on the animals.

The nearly full-term pregnant manatee rescued from Matanzas Pass died at ZooTampa at Lowry Park earlier this month after suffering severe blunt-force trauma from a boat strike, according to officials.

According to Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission data, watercraft collisions are already above the five-year average this year.

Captains and tour operators near Fort Myers Beach say part of the problem is education.

“A lot of folks don’t understand what minimum wake means,” said Capt. Dave Grobinski, who runs sightseeing tours out of Salty Sam’s Marina. "Unfortunately, we got a lot of rentals. As a marina here, we've asked law enforcement to come out and do a little bit more enforcement here."

Grobinski said the marina hands visitors maps showing slow-speed zones before they leave the dock, but he still sees boaters traveling too fast through areas where manatees are known to swim.

The Lee County Sheriff’s Office said its Marine Unit patrols the Fort Myers Beach area, including Matanzas Pass, daily. Since Jan. 1, LCSO said deputies have issued 54 citations and more than 350 warnings to boaters countywide.

In a statement, Sheriff Carmine Marceno said deputies focus on both enforcement and education, especially because many boaters are visiting from out of town or are new to local waterways.

Still, Howell and others who work along the back bay say they want to see more patrols before more animals are killed.

Statewide, boat strikes are not the leading cause of manatee deaths in Florida. Manatees also die from cold stress, natural causes and other factors.

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