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In January, Blue Spring State Park saw a record 932 manatees seeking warm waters in the spring, beating its previous record of 736 manatees on New Year’s Day.
The population increase is credited largely to the more than $50 million that Florida has invested in manatee protection and care since 2019. In the same period, Gov. DeSantis approved more than $1.8 billion for water quality improvement projects around the state. This includes more than $163 million dedicated to projects in the Indian River Lagoon on the east coast of Florida, which is home to thousands of manatees.
– Marie Patasin, C2 Communications, The SWFL 100