News

By Elizabeth Neville, Director of Environmental Law and Policy

The Florida legislative session is in full swing, and Save the Manatee Club is actively engaged, advocating beneficial policies and funding for manatees and their habitat. A major priority this session is supporting the bills to restore the Ocklawaha River, both entitled “Tributaries of St. Johns River”: Senate Bill 1066, introduced by Senator Brodeur, and House Bill 981, introduced by Representative Duggan. These bills consist of a three-part approach to securing a positive future for the Ocklawaha River and its watershed: river restoration, creation of a compatible outdoor recreation plan, and an economic development program for the communities surrounding the river. The bills propose an advisory committee structure to ensure local stakeholder input. Save the Manatee Club is extremely grateful to this bill’s champions for their tireless support of this important issue for manatees and Florida’s environment.

Restoring the Ocklawaha River is a major priority for Save the Manatee Club for its potential to provide natural warm-water winter habitat for manatees. A free-flowing Ocklawaha ecosystem will provide manatees with natural warm-water habitat in the Ocklawaha’s 20 springs and by allowing unimpeded access to the Silver River and Silver Springs. Some of the Ocklawaha’s larger springs, such as Marion Blue Spring and the Cannon Spring Complex, could provide habitat for 100 manatees or more each and have food sources nearby. The river is currently impounded by the Kirkpatrick Dam—constructed solely for the decommissioned 1960s Cross-Florida Barge Canal Project—which causes artificially high water levels, “drowning” the springs, and rendering the resultant manmade lake too cold in the winter for manatees to take refuge. Additionally, manatees currently must navigate the dam and its lock system to access important habitat in the Silver River and Silver Springs. Restoring the type of natural, warm-water habitat offered by these bills is extremely important, especially with the inevitability of power plant technology transition. Presently, thousands of manatees, over 60% of the population, rely on warm water discharges from artificial sources, like power plants, to survive the cold winter months. Many power plants will soon change their technology to systems that do not discharge warm water. This may happen as soon as within the next few years, and restoring plentiful natural habitat—such as the Ocklawaha and its springs—will be essential to ensure a smooth transition for manatees.

At the time of writing (end of January, 2026), the bills to restore the Ocklawaha are currently winding their way through the committee process. For a bill to become law in Florida, the House and Senate versions must both go through several “committee stops,” where groups of legislators focus on different aspects, e.g. the budget or natural resources, vote to support or oppose the bill. Save the Manatee Club was thrilled to see the bills receive unanimous support at their first committee stops: the House and Senate Environment and Natural Resources committees on January 20, and the House Budget Committee on January 27. I attended the House Budget Committee meeting and provided oral testimony in support of the bill. Hopefully the bill will pass and Ocklawaha restoration will be a matter of law in Florida by the next issue of Paddle Tales!

Take the pledge to restore the Ocklawaha here: https://reunitetherivers.com/ocklawaha-restoration-pledge/

Watch part of Liz’s testimony here: https://www.wcjb.com/2026/01/27/florida-house-committee-advances-ocklawaha-river-restoration-bill/