Pinellas County to get new manatee protection signs

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Even after a controversial federal decision to downgrade manatees from endangered to threatened, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is moving ahead to protect the state’s official mammal with new zones in eastern Pinellas County.

FWC has begun work to repair, clean and install waterway markers for existing boating safety and newly established manatee protection zones in Pinellas County. The work began in mid-May and should be completed by the end of the summer.

The FWC will be installing new markers and repairing existing markers to post the manatee protection zones to clearly mark the boundaries for boats.

Boaters are urged to use caution, particularly in narrow waterways, while the sign construction is underway.

For more information, visit MyFWC.com/Boating.

Manatee Safety Zones

This map is not to be used for navigation, it is provided for general illustrative purposes. All data is owned and maintained by Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission- Fish and Wildlife Research Institute, in the event of conflict between the Manatee Safety Zone data set and the zones as described in the FAC, the descriptions in the FAC shall prevail. Please see http://atoll.floridamarine.org/Quickmaps/ for more information and data limitations.