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Don't Let Manatees Go Extinct — Protect Their Last Warm Winter Refuge

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Sponsor: Free The Ocean

When Florida's aging power plants shut down, thousands of manatees will lose their only winter warmth — and there's no natural refuge ready to replace it.

Manatee underwater eating a leafy green plant, with sunlight filtering through clear blue water.

Every winter, thousands of Florida manatees crowd into the warm discharge channels of coastal power plants. The water is industrial, the warmth is artificial, and the animals have come to depend on it completely. Now, as aging plants retire and utilities shift to solar and other energy sources, that lifeline is disappearing — and there is no natural replacement ready to take its place.2

Manatees are cold-sensitive mammals. Water temperatures below roughly 68 degrees Fahrenheit can trigger cold stress syndrome, a condition that weakens their immune systems and leaves them exposed to pneumonia and other infections. Florida's freshwater springs maintain a stable 72 degrees year-round and once served as the species' primary winter refuge. But decades of aquifer depletion, agricultural runoff, and overdevelopment have reduced water flow and degraded quality at many of these sites.

The manatee population has grown — genuinely good news — but far more animals now need winter shelter than the springs in their current state can support.4

A Species Still at Risk

Manatees were downlisted from endangered to threatened in 2017, reflecting real population growth. That progress is fragile. In 2021, more than 1,100 manatees died in a single year — a record — driven primarily by starvation tied to catastrophic seagrass loss along Florida's coasts.3 The species remains at a crossroads, with habitat pressures mounting on multiple fronts.

Losing winter warm-water access would compound those pressures immediately. Animals conditioned over generations to seek out industrial warm-water sites would have nowhere to go when those plants close. Cold stress events would increase. A population that has fought its way back from the edge could face a new crisis — one that is preventable if action is taken now.1

The Solution Exists — It Just Needs to Move Faster

Spring restoration is the most ecologically durable path forward. Restoring water flow, reducing pollutant loads, and expanding access to functioning spring systems would create natural refuges that require no industrial infrastructure to maintain.1 Restoration efforts are already underway in Florida, but they are moving too slowly relative to the pace of power plant retirements.2

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection have the authority to change that. What's been missing is the commitment to act at the speed this timeline demands. Sustained funding, stronger regulatory coordination, and a clear plan tied to plant retirement schedules could close the gap before it becomes a catastrophe.

The Window Is Narrowing

The transition away from fossil fuels is not hypothetical — it is already underway across Florida's coastline.2 Every year without accelerated spring restoration is a year closer to a winter when manatees have nowhere safe to go. The decisions made now will determine whether this species continues its recovery or faces a preventable collapse.

Sign the petition today to urge the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to accelerate spring restoration before Florida's aging power plants close — and manatees are left without a refuge.

More on this issue:

  1. Staff, Animals Around The Globe (15 February 2026), "Saving Manatees in Florida's Warming Waters."
  2. Staff, The Christian Science Monitor (10 April 2025), "Florida manatees find warmth near power plants. They may need a new solution.."
  3. Jan Wesner Childs, National Parks Traveler (5 April 2026), "Manatees: A Threatened Species At A Crossroads."
  4. Staff, The Invading Sea (20 February 2024), "New warm-water refuges sought for Florida's manatees; Polk County is hotbed for solar."

The Petition

To the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Florida Department of Environmental Protection

For decades, Florida manatees have survived winter by crowding into the warm discharge channels of coastal power plants — a workaround that nobody planned and everyone has come to rely on. That arrangement is ending. As aging facilities retire and utilities shift to solar and other energy sources, the warm outflows manatees depend on will disappear. The natural alternative — Florida's freshwater springs — is not yet ready to fill the gap. We are urging you to accelerate spring restoration before that gap becomes a crisis.

Manatees are highly vulnerable to cold. When water temperatures drop below roughly 68 degrees Fahrenheit, they can develop cold stress syndrome, a condition that weakens their immune systems and opens the door to severe illness and death. Florida's natural springs maintain a stable 72 degrees year-round and once served as the species' primary cold-season refuge. But decades of aquifer depletion, agricultural runoff, and overdevelopment have reduced water flow and degraded water quality at many of these sites. At the same time, the manatee population has grown — which is genuinely good news — but it means far more animals now need winter refuge than the springs in their current state can realistically support.

The stakes are not abstract. In 2021, more than 1,100 manatees died in a single year, the highest recorded total, driven largely by starvation tied to seagrass loss. The species remains classified as threatened. Adding widespread cold stress events to that already stressed population — at the precise moment artificial warm-water sites are closing — could reverse years of hard-won recovery.

Spring restoration is the most ecologically sound long-term solution. Improving water flow, reducing pollutant loads, and expanding access to functioning spring systems would create durable natural refuges that require no industrial infrastructure to maintain. The tools to do this work exist. What is needed now is the commitment to move faster.

We are asking you to prioritize and fund spring restoration efforts at a pace that matches the retirement schedule of Florida's aging power plants — and to coordinate across agencies with the urgency this timeline demands.

The health of a recovering species, and the integrity of Florida's coastal ecosystems, depends on decisions made now. These actions will ensure a better future for all.

Sincerely,

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