TALLAHASSEE, Florida — A federal judge in Orlando on Friday said the Florida Department of Environmental Protection is responsible for manatee deaths in the Indian River Lagoon and must seek a federal permit under the Endangered Species Act to deal with the continuing threat.
Details: District Judge Carlos E. Mendoza said there was a “definite causal link” between DEP’s wastewater regulations and the deaths of more than 1,000 manatees in 2021. He said the state has taken “necessary steps” to reduce pollution, but it is not enough.
“The North IRL [Indian River Lagoon] is in such a deteriorated state that the required remediation will take many years, as the state itself has acknowledged,” Mendoza wrote. “And during that remediation, wastewater discharged pursuant to FDEP’s regulations will continue to indirectly take manatees in the North IRL.”
DEP’s press office did not respond to a request for comment. Bear Warriors United, based in Oviedo, filed the lawsuit in 2022 following the manatee deaths.
