Tampa Bay 28's Chad Mills reports on manatee protection zone debate in Hernando County.

Hernando County

Concerns over manatee safety in Florida's Mud River have prompted local officials to consider establishing a manatee protection zone. Increased boat traffic and incidents involving manatees, including a widely shared video of a boat passing over a group of the animals, have led to calls for year-round speed limits on the river. 

The proposal has divided the community, with some residents advocating for stronger protections and others arguing that there is insufficient evidence to justify new restrictions. County commissioners have chosen to survey riverfront homeowners before proceeding with any new regulations, leaving the timeline for potential changes uncertain.

How one Florida river is becoming a battleground

I've seen photographs of manatee of calves that have come in completely ripped apart by propellers. The thought of an animal getting hit by a boat and then having to live on after that is horrifying to the point where I can't think about it every day. This video highlights how real those concerns are for manatee lovers in Hernando County. An EcoTour operator shared this video from March of 2023. It shows a boater plow over a group of more than 20 manatees that were gathered in a shallow spot on the Mud River. And since then, our Chad Mills has closely followed the push to create manatee protection zones. Now that county leaders are considering taking action, Chad went out to Mud River to get a first-hand look at what's happening there. And he listened to the debate over boating rules versus rights. Well just about everyone who spoke agreed, manatees are worth protecting. But the question is, what should that protection look like in this river? This is the Mud River. I'd be here every day if I didn't have to have a real job. A natural jewel that's becoming less and less of a hidden gem. Because year after year, this river, the gateway to the sparkling Weeki Wachee Springs, is becoming more popular with both human and manatee visitors. There's so many tourists up here, and they bring with them their boats, and the population of manatees is exploited as well. And that's why all three people on this boat are worried. They think the risk of boat strikes is going up. This video from the Mud River from 2023 illustrates their concern. It shows a close call between a boat and almost 20 manatees. Everything in blue would be the manatee protection zone. Tuesday, Hernando County Commissioners considered a plan to make Mud River a manatee protection zone, which would slow boat speed limits all year round. Stephanie Kozich was all for it. It was once a peaceful, serene estuary, has become basically a highway, racetrack. But the room was split. Some argued it'll strip the rights of boat owners who live along the river. They also argued the number of manatee deaths doesn't yet support the move. And I associate this with similar to taking rights away for your gun rights, etc. You know, when you take them away, but you don't have data to back it up, it's communism. But a narrow majority of commissioners refused to nix the plan for manatee protection and instead sent it back to the drawing board. Look at this hot rod. Boater Lucas Johns admits the plan wasn't perfect and was probably overreach. But he says manatees do need more protection here. I've hit a manatee. I hate to admit it, but yeah, I hit one in that little stretch of river where we showed you. I hit him at low speed. I saw him immediately. I shut the motor off and trimmed up. And he's hoping for compromise and a common sense solution to protect both the manatees and the people who share this river. County commissioners ultimately decided to survey riverfront homeowners before moving forward with possible protections for the manatees in this river. No word yet on how long that'll take. In Hernando County, Chad Mills, Tampa Bay 28.

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