Ragtail, adopted by over 600 people, was the 24th manatee to die this year. The pregnant sea cow was found Sunday south of Picnic Island in Tampa Bay after being killed by a boat propeller the day before. Jerry Karnas, of the Save the Manatee Club, told members of the Senate Natural Resources Committee that the measure would help slow the pace of manatee deaths, which he said would reach record-breaking numbers and top last year's 88 manatee deaths if the current pace continued.
Manatees are under constant stress on our waterways.
The measure, which passed by a 9-0 vote, heads to three more Senate committees before being heard by the full chamber. Components of the bill are based largely on the outcome of a daylong summit last fall which Gov. Jeb Bush convened to find ways to reduce manatee deaths. The panel recommended increased law enforcement of manatee speed zones and mandatory boater education, along with manatee habitat restoration and stiffer penalties for speeding boaters.