Scott Sutton and Kayla McDermott
wflx.comThu, 29 Jan 2026 20:14 UTC
160 manatees spotted at Manatee Lagoon amid cold snap
The chilly air across South Florida and the Treasure Coast has many of us bundled up and braving the cooler-than-average temperatures — and that includes wildlife.
Representatives at the Manatee Lagoon in Riviera Beach said Thursday that they counted 160 manatees at the facility, the highest number spotted all season.
The gentle giants are attracted to the area by the warm-water outflows from the adjacent Florida Power & Light Riviera Beach Next Generation Clean Energy Center.
With temperatures expected to continue falling through the weekend and forecast lows in the 30s, workers at the lagoon said they believe sightings will likely increase.
Comment: Update February 2The Daytona News-Journal reports:
Nearly 1,000 manatees gathered Feb. 2 at Blue Spring State Park in Orange City as record-breaking cold temperatures continue to infiltrate Florida.
The state park provided the official manatee count Monday morning and an afternoon update hours later via Instagram.
"The arctic cold brought in a record number of manatees this morning with a river temperature of 55.9F (13.3C)," the update read. "Save the Manatee Club counted a record number of 834 manatees, the park staff counted even more."
Comment: Update February 2
The Daytona News-Journal reports: