FWC completes habitat restoration at Warm Mineral Springs

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC)

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) has successfully completed restoration work downstream from Warm Mineral Springs in Sarasota County, Florida. The warm water flowing from the spring is of particular importance to manatees seeking shelter from cooler winter temperatures.

FWC staff members worked with partners to overcome challenges, including the arrival of Hurricane Ian on Florida’s gulf coast in fall 2022. Extreme flooding within the project and surrounding areas halted work, requiring significant debris removal and additional funding and time. The project resumed in the spring of 2023 and was successfully completed before the winter season. It is anticipated that manatees will return to this enhanced warm-water site this winter.

While the creeks can be enjoyed by the public in spring and summer, this area is an FWC No Entry Zone from Nov. 15 to March 15. This restriction ensures that manatees can access the warm-water refuge upstream without disturbances from human activities, which can jeopardize their health by causing them to flee to colder waters.

There is no public viewing of manatees at the Warm Mineral Springs; however, a list of other warm-water locations where manatees can safely be viewed can be found here: MyFWC.com/education/wildlife/manatee/where-to-see. When observing manatees in any location, always remember to give them space and watch from a distance for their safety and yours. Manatees are a protected species, and it is illegal to harass, feed, disturb or harm them.

Construction of this project was funded by the Florida Legislature, in response to the manatee Unusual Mortality Event ("UME") on the state’s Atlantic coast, and is the first to be completed using these funds. Manatee habitat conservation and restoration is important in all areas of Florida, and this project will provide an important refuge for the southwest manatee population during the winter.

This project would not have been possible without support from Florida’s fgovernment, along with agency partners that include the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Sarasota County Government, The Nature Conservancy, Coastal and Heartland National Estuary Partnership, National Wildlife Federation, Gulf Coast Community Foundation, and the City of North Port, Florida.

To learn more about some of the FWC’s priority manatee habitat restoration projects, visit MyFWC.com/AquaticHabitat. For more information about manatees, including the manatee UME on the Atlantic coast, visit MyFWC.com/Manatee.