I don't think the Manatee thing has anything to do with the Manatee and has everything to do with someone's anti-boating agenda. Problem is they cannot come with a campaign to eliminate boating so they come up with a save this poor creature from us awful humans.....end effect is the same........they take away your right to boat and if you fight it you don't care about the environment.

I'm from Ga and don't know a whole lot about the problem. Are a lot of the manetee being hit by boats? Is it truly a problem? I would like to know the truth now, no frustrations. I would think that everyone in Fla is aware of the revenues that boating brings there. Do they really have a reason for the complaints about boaters? Are some boaters having no regards for the law and not paying attention to areas that may have a large amount of manetee in them? You know how some people pay little or no attention to wildlife and don't care if they exist or not. Do you think they are really the problem or not? I really don't know because I'm not there, but I do know if that is part of the problem then you should start there. Please educate me on that situation, I would truly like to understand because I plan to join all you Floridians in the near future.

Twin Screws, The more people we have coming into this state the worse it is. It seems that everytime someone builds there house here they get the attitude of close the gates. Now I'm here, don't let anyone else build anything else. Do not let anyone cut down a tree. Do not let anyone kill anything. Do not let anyone have any fun.

In reality, the manatee population is greater than it has ever been. Yet, the state and fed govt continue to close popular fishing areas becaus manatees also like these spots. This "conservation" as they like to call it, is bi $$$$ business. If these animals were provn to flourish, alot of peole would be out of hi paying jobs.

I am a director with the local Coastal Conservation Assoc chapter. I am for conservation of endangered species. I practice catch and release and handle game delicately to keep it alive after release. On the other hand, once a species is no longer endangered, let's enjoy tis great state the way we used to.

Manatte does not taste like chicken, it's more like Sea Turtle, "JUST KIDDING".
As the Manatee population grows so will the number of incidents. The wackos would prefer we all boat by canoe like they do. I lived in Cape Coral for 8 years and only had 1 Manatee sighting while boating. They congregate around the power plant discharges and eat all the grass beds.
Ya gotta love natures speed bumps!

That’s right they denude the Grass beds and offer nothing beneficial back except; tons of Manatee Manure on the bottom. And on the effects of that pollution the jury is still out

but they keep making cute slogans with the cartoon of the Manatee smiling and waving.

An Aquatic version of the Norway rat! Is more to the point?

We can not even build because of a shadow on the Sea bed in some areas. But these animals can destroy it with the blessings of the Idiots!

The save the manatee club has to be stopped!
This radical group is is going to shut down our boating by making our area a slow speed/idle zone,drive our waterfront property values down (who wants to idle around all day?) and kill our marine industry.
It amazes me that this group of people can do this.
I say we sue the save the manatee club.
Don't get me wrong ,I enjoy seeing manatees and all wildlife when I'm boating.
Our regulations that we have in effect now are working just fine.
I see manatees all over the place,more than ever.
I work in the marine industry and am at waterfront properties everyday.
I just hope someone comes to there senses because Cape Coral is not going to be "just paradise" when the smc is done with it.

Here's an update from the $MC website!:hothead:


http://www.savethemanatee.org/newsfe...ctionareas.htm

The ONLY thing endangered about the Manatees is the JOBS of all the people @ the $MC!!!!!:hothead:

Salesmanship,
I have a question. Once the Lee county releases it's MPP, (Manatee Protection Plan) will the Feds start issueing dock permits again, or will each dock permit be ANALized for Manatee impact first?

The BIGGEST SHAME about this whole situation is that there are over 800,000 registered BOATS in FL., and yet we can let an organization of 40,000 members, ($MC) CLOSE down boating in FL.!:hothead: Apathy amoung FL. boaters is running rampant!

BTW, we are sueing;



"The Brevard County manatee protection zone rule challenge appeal is well underway. (posted 11/11/02)
In May of 2001, the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission approved most of Save the Manatee Club's speed zone proposal for Brevard County, restricting boats to slow speed in about 20% of Brevard's waters and along 95% of Brevard's shoreline. Shortly thereafter, Tom McGill, Ron Pritchard, Daniel Dvorak, Bob Atkins and Russell Gentile filed a petition before the Department of Administrative Hearings claiming that the rule was based on lawsuit rather than science, was overly burdensome to boaters, and was not supported by the best available science. Standing Watch and Sea Ray Boats filed similar petitions, and all three petitions were consolidated for efficiency. Not surprisingly, Save the Manatee club joined the lawsuit to fight along side their comrades in the FF&WCC. We were, however, surprised to learn that the Florida Power & Light company also objected to family boating, as they too joined the Commission and SMC to protect the bogus slow speed zones in Brevard County.



After four months of fighting motions to dismiss, motions to render an early judgment, motions to keep us from seeing records from the secret lawsuit settlement negotiations, and motions to make us just go away, the petitioners had their "day in court". Months later, the judge rendered his decision, which dismissed every claim and every bit of evidence as baseless. See Daniel Dvorak's analysis of the results.



The five petitioners discussed the possibility of an appeal and decided to retain Hopping, Green & Sams as counsel. The City of Cocoa Beach joined us in the appeal, and contributed 1/5 of the attorney's fees. Citizens for Florida's Waterways sponsored a fund-raising campaign to raise the rest (you can donate online with a credit card).



In an appeal, the appellant (us and interveners on our side) files an appeal brief, then the appellee (FFWCC and their friends in SMC) files an answer brief, then the appellant can file an answer brief to respond. Then, any party can request oral argument, which the judges can grant or deny. Finally, the judges render their decision.



See the documents

The appeal brief was filed in July, 2002

The FFWCC and SMC answer briefs were filed in October, 2002

The appellant answer brief has been filed November, 2002."

IF you really want to help, join www.cffwbrevard.org or www.standing-watch.org and HELP FIGHT THIS B/S.



Intersesting fact, THE USFWS and the FFWCC came to Brevard County last year and installed a whole bunch of new Manatee zones and THEN there was more Manatees killed by boats, BARGES and TUGS than ever before!!! Manatee Zones don't work in turbid, (Brackish) waters!
MD:hothead: