Govind Tekale
Environmental groups are taking legal steps to protect Florida’s gentle sea giants from what they call inadequate oversight at a key wildlife refuge.
The Center for Biological Diversity filed a formal notice on May 30, 2025, signaling their intent to sue the federal government over manatee protection at Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge. This legal action stems from concerns about understaffing at the refuge, which provides critical winter habitat for about 20% of Florida’s manatee population.
“Crystal River refuge staffers protect our manatees from harm and harassment in Florida’s most important natural warm-water habitat, but chronic understaffing has hamstrung recovery efforts,” said Ragan Whitlock, a Florida-based attorney at the Center.
The notice highlights potential “take” of manatees – a term covering harassment, harm, and death of these protected animals. According to the Center, inadequate staffing levels have made it difficult to properly manage the hundreds of thousands of visitors and tourism operations in the refuge waters.
The Crystal River refuge holds special significance as the only national wildlife refuge created specifically to protect Florida manatees. Its warm springs and vegetation provide essential shelter during winter months when manatees seek warmer waters to survive.
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The lawsuit notice comes amid broader concerns about manatee welfare in Florida. In 2021 and 2022, the state saw record-breaking manatee deaths, with over 1,100 perishing in 2021 alone. This unprecedented mortality was largely attributed to starvation following massive seagrass loss in key habitats like the Indian River Lagoon, where up to 99% of seagrass has disappeared over the past half-century.
Water pollution from wastewater and nutrient runoff has been identified as a major culprit behind the seagrass collapse. In April 2025, a federal judge ruled that the Florida Department of Environmental Protection violated the Endangered Species Act by failing to properly regulate these pollutants.
Pat Rose, Executive Director of Save the Manatee Club, called this ruling “a wake up call to the state of Florida that more has to be done to protect waterways and the species that depend on them.”
Despite these concerning trends, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed in January 2025 to keep the Florida manatee’s status as “threatened” rather than upgrading it to “endangered.” This decision drew criticism from conservation groups who point to the animals’ continued vulnerability.
The Crystal River refuge faces additional challenges with tourism management. The refuge oversees 27 active special-use permits, mostly for “swim-with-manatee” tours. Records show documented incidents of visitors harassing manatees, including separating mothers from calves and even riding the animals within refuge waters.
As of January 2025, only eight full-time employees were tasked with managing a 32,000-acre complex of five national wildlife refuges along Florida’s Gulf Coast, including Crystal River. Conservation groups argue this staffing level is woefully inadequate to protect manatees and properly oversee tourism activities.
The notice filed by the Center gives the federal government time to address these concerns before a formal lawsuit is filed. Without improvements, the group says, either staffing must increase, sanctuary boundaries must be extended, or visitor activities must be further restricted to prevent manatee harassment.
