Some residents push for enhanced manatee protection measures in parts of Hillsborough River

Push for Hillsborough River manatee habitat zone

Some residents in Hillsborough County are pushing for more protection for manatees in an area of the Hillsborough River. Kylie Jones reports.

HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. - Some residents in Hillsborough County are pushing for more protection for manatees in an area of the Hillsborough River.

A group started a petition, pushing for more education on boating safety and improved signage and enforcement to protect wildlife on the Hillsborough River from Lowry Park to the Rowlett Park area.

By the numbers:

The FWC recently released a report that there have been 477 manatee deaths in Florida so far this year. It says there were a total of 565 manatee deaths in all of 2024.

Last year, ZooTampa treated 28 manatees in critical condition.

The zoo says it takes in a lot of manatees that have suffered boat-related injuries, especially blunt force injuries.

"Here at our critical care center, we do get a lot of animals that are injured by boat strikes," Tiffany Burns, Senior Director of Animal Programs said.

Burns says a lot of the injuries its manatees have suffered are due to speeding vessels.

"The speed limits are the most important, because it's going to help slow people down in those areas where they're typically going to come in contact with manatees," Burns said.

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On the Hillsborough River, some boaters say they see a lot of manatees in the narrow channels near Lowry Park.

"On our larger boat, we made sure to get something that goes under our propeller so that way, if we do go across any kind of wildlife, it kind of skims across them, so it stops the blade from hitting them," Krissy Bane, a boater in Tampa said.

Signs are posted at the boat ramp near Lowry Park, warning boaters about manatees in the area and to drive slowly on the water.

"Just follow the signs, make sure you're not creating a wake, make you're going slow, you're maintaining a proper speed," Bane said.

The FWC says there's an idle speed zone in place on the Hillsborough River near Lowry Park.

What's next:

The FWC says local municipalities have the authority under the Florida Manatee Sanctuary Act to establish local manatee protection zones in areas where data warrants the need to restrict vessel speed.

"Should a city wish to implement a local ordinance, FWC staff are available to coordinate on language early in the process to ensure consistency with regulatory zones in other areas of the state and enforceability by other entities," a spokesperson for the FWC said.

The FWC would have to approve an ordinance before it can take effect.

You can find more information on manatee protection zones here.