WAKULLA COUNTY, Fla. (WCTV) – Some locals in Wakulla County are raising concerns about recent manatee deaths.
TnT Hide-a-way Rentals said a manatee was found dead in the Wakulla River over the weekend and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is investigating the cause.
They say it’s the fourth manatee death in Wakulla since June.
Robert Baker with TnT Hide-a-way believes the uptick is likely due to an increase in boat traffic along the river.
“There’s definitely a correlation with the increased traffic on the river, more people using the river, with more people moving to the area,” Baker said. “About half the people moving to the area may purchase a boat and that puts about 2,000 more people on the water, maybe not directly in the Wakulla, but the surrounding waters. So, a lot more boat traffic and a lot bigger boat traffic that we’re seeing on the river as well.”
Monday morning, FWC retrieved the manatee for a necropsy to determine the cause of death.
The state’s latest report notes five manatee deaths in Wakulla County this year, not including this most recent one.
Statewide, 2026 has seen a total of 434 manatee deaths. The cause of most of the deaths is not identified, but about 78 were watercraft related. 39 were due to cold stress, 27 were natural and 3 were caused by humans.
Baker said the most important this boaters can do to prevent accidents is to obey the slow speed no-wake zones along the river.
He says they are working with the local government to try and expand the slow speed no-wake zone on the Wakulla River.
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