FORT MYERS, Fla. — Florida wildlife officials say cold stress was likely a factor in the deaths of 25 manatees in Lee County last week, but questions remain about whether an unplanned shutdown of a nearby Florida Power & Light power plant on Feb. 5 may have played a role.
Watch Fox 4's Allie Kaiser push for answers on what could have caused the manatee deaths in Lee County:
"At this time, it is not yet known to what extent a recent, unplanned shutdown of a nearby Florida Power & Light power plant may have impacted mortality levels," the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said in a statement.
The FPL plant, located just across from Manatee Park in Fort Myers, discharges warm water into the area — a resource manatees use during cold snaps.
Fox 4's Allie Kaiser reached out to FPL about the unplanned shutdown. A spokesperson responded with the statement below:
"We are aware that FWC is investigating manatee deaths at Manatee Park. We are coordinating closely with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC).
For more information about this incident, please contact FWC."
Save the Manatee Club Executive Director Patrick Rose said FPL "...would have to have what we call a manatee protection plan."
A review of Lee County's manatee protection plan, found on FWC's website, states that FPL has actions in place to "...minimize the complete loss of warm-water for emergency shut-down events or planned maintenance during the winter months."
FPL did not respond to follow-up questions about the manatee protection plan.
A United States Fish and Wildlife Service spokesperson told Fox 4 that the agency was notified of the emergency shutdown on Feb 5. at 3:43 p.m.
Meteorologist Katie Walls reviewed data from the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation (SCCF) gauge in Alva and found that water temperatures dropped to 61 degrees on the morning of the 6th, as air temperatures dropped into the 30s.
The water temperature did not consistently stay above 65 degrees until after Saturday, February 14, 9 days after the water shut down.
According to FWC, manatees need access to water that is warmer than 68 degrees Fahrenheit to survive prolonged cold weather.
While it's not known exactly how long the warm water was off, the longer it wasn't flowing into Manatee Park, the worse the stress on the manatees would've been.
FWC declined to answer questions about whether additional manatees have died, whether new reports have been made about others in distress, or what plans are in place ahead of future cold weather. The agency's only response was that "staff are on-site monitoring."
A clearer picture of the total death toll is expected when FWC releases its manatee mortality update on Wednesday.
You can find Fox 4's report on the manatee deaths from last week here.
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