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​​​​Mother and Calf at South Cove Natural Area, an ERM Restoration Project in Lake Worth Lagoon​
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Our Waterways are Home to a Special Marine Mammal


 Manatees are found year round swimming, resting, eating, giving birth to and raising young in Palm Beach County's waterways.  You can see them along the coast in shallow ocean waters, in brackish estuaries like Lake Worth Lagoon​ where the Intracoastal Waterway cuts through, and even further inland in freshwater rivers and canals as they surface to breath before plunging back down into their watery home. ​

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​Group of manatees resting and eating seagrass at Mac Arthur Beach State Park in Lake Worth Lagoon Estuary ​

During Winter, Our Waterways Turn Into Manatee Highways ​


But come winter time when the temperature drops and the water cools, something amazing happens. A significant portion of the population of east coast manatees from North Florida and southern Georgia migrate south and congregate here in Palm Beach County.  Our inshore waterways provide warm, safe resting areas for manatees traveling up & down the coast.  Often times when there is a cold snap in our area, you can see them congregate in the warm water near the discharge area at the FPL Riviera Beach Power Plant - recognized as one of the most important water manatee refuges on the east coast of Florida!​  Visit the education facility there called Manatee Lagoon​.​ ​[EXTERNAL LINK]​

Learn More On Manatees - How to Protect & Ways to Help


​Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission webpages have additional details: 

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