Florida Department of Environmental Protection

"Some days you barely smell it, some days it about knocks you down."

A brief contends the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission — not the Department of Environmental Protection — is constitutionally responsible for wildlife-related issues.

Help from the state would be beneficial, considering the county typically spends only around $10 million on similar projects.

The city said it believed the November samples were flawed and did not take further action. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection objected and told the city to retest, which it did last month.

The 28 updated nutrient Basin Management Action Plans target the Santa Fe and Suwannee Rivers, among other waterways.

Florida had 800 manatee deaths in 2022, before the number dropped to 555 in 2023 and 565 in 2024, according to Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission data.

James Gaddis claims retaliation from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.

A key part of U.S. District Judge Carlos Mendoza’s injunction calls for the state to seek what is known as an “incidental take” permit from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

A federal judge ordered a series of steps aimed at protecting manatees in the northern Indian River Lagoon, including temporarily preventing new septic tanks in the area.

A U.S. district judge last month ruled that the state has violated the Endangered Species Act as manatees face threats in the Indian River Lagoon

Nearly 2,000 manatees died in the state in 2021 and 2022, a two-year record. Widespread water quality problems and seagrass losses left the sea cows starving.

The judge said the Florida Department of Environmental Protection needs to seek what is known as an “incidental take permit” from federal wildlife officials to help minimize the effects of discharges on manatees.