They alongside the mother for about 2 years, learning travel routes and survival skills. Migrants to Warm Coastal Waterways Manatees thrive in warm water. At temperatures below 68 degrees F, manatees stop eating, suffer cold stress and oftentimes die. This is why they migrate to the coastal areas, rivers, canals and estuaries in Florida and southern Georgia during winter. They especially prefer the slow-moving rivers and shallow coves and bays where there are warm springs and lush sea grass beds.
Manatees also converge around power plant outfalls and warm-water discharges.
During winter, hundreds of manatees congregate close to Florida Power and Light Company's power plants at Cape Canaveral, Fort Lauderdale, Riviera Beach and Fort Myers, as well as the Tampa Electric Company's Apollo Beach power plant in Tampa Bay. Manatees travel through freshwater, brackish and saltwater environments, reaching as far west as Louisiana and as far north as Maryland during summer. But in Florida, the favorite manatee migration destination seems to be Crystal River. And at Homosassa Springs State Wildlife Park, tourists come from all over the world to see the aquatic mammals. Manatees, however, find their way into any shallow river, estuary, cove or canal where feeding grounds can be found.