To those irresponsible boaters who kill manatees, add irresponsible county commissioners. The Cabinet placed the blame for the Sarasota Yacht Club not being given its expansion permit squarely on the shoulders of the Sarasota County Commission. We can't approve marinas without using some influence to encourage these manatee-protection plans. From here on out we're going to be very consistent. Perhaps a suit brought in January against state and federal agencies by nearly two dozen environmental groups, accusing the government of failing to protect manatees, has gotten the Cabinet's attention.
Manatees are fragile animals.
Indeed, those all track back to irresponsible boaters. County commissioners can address those culprits with a manatee-protection plan. Because Tallahassee refused to grant a marina expansion, it's likely the folks back home will begin to pressure commissioners to do what they should have done a decade ago.