Sarasota County is one of 13 counties designated as a priority protection site for the state and federally endangered West Indian Manatee. Counties with this designation are required by Florida Statute to develop a Manatee Protection Plan (MPP).

Originally adopted in 2003, the Sarasota County MPP was updated in July 2011 and approved by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) in October 2011.

On the original adoption date, the Manatee Protection Plan Implementation Code (MPPIC) was also approved, which authorizes the application of MPP provisions.

• For details call the Sarasota County Call Center at 941-861-5000 and ask for Resource Protection.
   
• Manatee Protection Plan (2011 Adopted)

Are you interested in the major changes made to the updated Manatee Protection Plan compared to the original?  Click the link below for additional information about the history of the plan in Sarasota County and a summary of key updates.

Sarasota County Manatee Protection Plan Fast Facts

For the implementation code visit Municode
Sarasota County Code of Ordinances,
Chapter 54, Article XXXI

What is the Manatee Protection Plan?
The MPP is a planning document designed to reduce detrimental human-related impacts to manatees in the development of boat facilities, such as marinas and boat ramps. The MPP does not apply to single-family docks and manatee protection speed zones are established in a separate process.

Countywide Manatee Protection Plans
The impetus to develop an MPP comes from two parallel efforts. First, the Florida Manatee Recovery Team, an interagency group of manatee experts, developed a Florida Manatee Recovery Plan, which was approved by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) in 1989 and updated in 1996. One task of the plan is to "develop site-specific manatee protection plans at the local level."

The Florida Manatee Recovery Plan ranks this as a priority task important to the recovery of the species. Secondly, in October 1989, Florida's governor and cabinet directed 13 "key" counties to develop manatee protection plans. There are various components of a MPP.

The plans are to include:

1. An inventory of boat facilities (marinas, docks, boat ramps, dry storage areas, etc.)
2. An assessment of boating activity patterns
3. Manatee sighting and mortality information
4. A boat facility siting plan - to determine the best areas for new marinas, boat ramps, etc.
5. Manatee protection measures, such as boating speed regulations in areas with high boat and manatee usage
6. Information on aquatic preserves, "Outstanding Florida Waters," ports, manatee refuges, etc. within the county
7. An education and awareness program for the public and boaters, divers, and school children
8. A water quality and habitat protection program (including land acquisition, and aquatic plant control plans for manatee areas)

The FWC encourages county MPPs to be adopted as an amendment to counties' comprehensive plans. The individual components, boat facility siting, etc. must be compatible with local policies and ordinances while addressing manatee concerns.

In setting policies to safeguard manatees and their habitats, the MPPs will also increase boater safety, facilitate recreation planning, and protect estuarine habitat critical to many species. Much of the commission's research and work is aimed at reducing manatee mortality. However, equally important is the protection of habitat to ensure the long-term viability of the species. For this reason, the comprehensive manatee protection plan addresses ecosystem management

Looking for more information about manatees and other protection programs?

Check out the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s Manatee Program Page here: http://myfwc.com/manatee or the Monofilament Recovery and Recycling Program here: http://mrrp.myfwc.com/.