November 13, 2025 • 11 mins
Education Coordinator Danielle Wertz at FPL's Manatee Lagoon in West Palm Beach tells us why you'll want to be there on Saturday, November 15th for the park's "Migration Celebration." The gentle giants are now moving to Florida's southern waters to warm up from colder weather to our north.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hey, Joel, Malcolm Ford, WJ and O dot com and
the Florida News Network. Manitee Lagoon kicking off Manate season
here in Florida. Saturday, November fifteenth is when it traditionally begins,
runs through March thirty first, and it just so happens
that November fifteenth is a weekend. It is it is
a weekend this time it is a Saturday, as I mentioned,
(00:21):
so Manite Lagoon can actually happen on the actual start
of manit season. So I found that pretty cool. Manite
Lagoon of course an FPL eco discovery center right in
West Palm Beach, and Danielle Wurtz is joining us from
Manite Lagoon. She's an education coordinator.
Speaker 2 (00:38):
Thanks for coming on, Yeah, thank you so much for
having me.
Speaker 1 (00:42):
We're going to really quick because we have we have
my people that migrate all the time here to our
area to live. Probably about to have a bunch more,
but that's another story. So for folks that aren't familiar
with Manite Lagoon, it was set up at a place
and I've been here long enough to remember before Manite
lagun actually existed. It was an area right next to
(01:04):
the FPL plant and you would have when the weather
kind of cooled off as much as it does cool
off here, you would have the manates gathering. Folks would
always go and just check it out. So I guess
at a certain point FPL said, Hey, you know what,
let's build an ecodiscovery center and really encourage the learning there. Correct.
Speaker 2 (01:25):
Yeah, So we opened in twenty sixteen and we are
located next door to Florida Power and Lights rivera beach
next generation clean energy center. That power plant puts out clean,
warm water, which is why the manatees like to come
into us here.
Speaker 1 (01:43):
So let's talk about the Migration Celebration as you're calling
it this year. That's the theme of manate Lagoon's kickoff
for the Manatee Celebration. Tell me what it's all about,
tell me what people can expect, all that good stuff.
Speaker 2 (02:02):
Absolutely, So, our Manitee season kickoff event is our migration
celebration to welcome our manatees back to the warmer waters.
So we have our event starts at ten and goes
until three pm, and it offers communities or families the
perfect opportunity to connect with Florida's gentle giants and discover
(02:25):
how each of us can play a role in manatee conservation.
So we'll have expert speakers doing a series of mini lectures.
We're going to kick it off with fwc Amber Howell.
We'll be giving a talk on Manitee photo ID and Rescue.
We'll have Tom Meats County Environmental Resource Management give another
(02:45):
talk on our Lakeworth Lagoon at twelve thirty, and then
we'll have Friends of Manatee Lagoon as well as our
education manager will give another all about Manatee' presentation at
two thirty. So lots of educational activity. We'll have some
environmental exhibitors that'll also be here to teach kids about
(03:05):
manatees in our local environment. We'll have face painting, food trucks, games,
fun for the whole family.
Speaker 1 (03:13):
Did you mention the mascot is going to be there.
Speaker 2 (03:16):
Absolutely, Mia the manateee will be here for photo ops.
She's going to help us kick off our celebration at
ten am and then she'll be available for pictures throughout
the day.
Speaker 1 (03:26):
All right, And you know I'm looking at I'm looking ahead.
Speaker 2 (03:29):
Now.
Speaker 1 (03:29):
Things can change, but I'm looking ahead at the forecast.
I'm sure you guys have done that as well. We
can now see next Saturday fifty seven for the morning.
That's the lows from overnight Friday night into Saturday morning
fifty seven, and you're going up to about right now
it says about seventy six mid seventies, but you talk
about ten o'clock when you kind of kick things off
(03:51):
there would that be cool enough to where we could
see see some manatees in the area.
Speaker 2 (03:58):
So there's always as to see the manatees here at
Maniti Lagoon, and they certainly do like to come visit
us when the waters have a chance to cool down.
So if it's cold for long enough for the water
temperatures to come down, we should see the manatees. But
they are wild, so they can be unpredictable.
Speaker 1 (04:17):
You can't tell them what to do, can you.
Speaker 2 (04:20):
I wish we could, but no, they come on their
own time.
Speaker 1 (04:24):
Now I know, isn't there a there is a temperature
right to where you typically would see them. I'm probably
wording this wrong, but I think you understand what I'm saying.
There is a temperature drop like a specific temperature of
the wall. You can only go by the air temperature.
I guess what is it?
Speaker 2 (04:42):
So it's the water temperature. Manatees actually, fun fact, they
don't have very much body fat, so they can't regulate
their internal body temperatures when it gets too cold. So
the temperature that is too cold for a manatee is
going to be anything below sixty degrees fahrenheit, in which
they will actually be susceptible to something called cold struck.
(05:04):
So that's actually the main reason they like to stay
warm at Manite Lagoon when the water is colder than
sixty eight.
Speaker 1 (05:11):
Degrees of course, and if it's been let me look
back here, So yeah, we're going to have Tuesday the
week before, so next Tuesday, because this is coming up
a week from Saturday, as we're talking here, on Thursday,
the sixth of November. So Tuesday's lows in the morning
(05:32):
forty six, and then we're going to be in the
fifties in the morning for the next few nights, So
I would think the temperatures will be cool enough to
where the manates are coming down, because if it's forty
six here that Tuesday morning, it's going to be in
probably the thirties further north. So I think there's a
great chance you're going to see a lot of manates
(05:55):
of course, again, you can't promise that.
Speaker 2 (05:58):
Yes, absolutely, we can't make any promises, but if the
weather works in our favor and it looks like it's
going to and we can keep our fingers crossed that
it stays that way, and then when it does start
to warm up, they do go out for other resources
like food. So they're kind of in and out, but
the weather's looking good for them to be making some
(06:19):
appearances next week.
Speaker 1 (06:20):
An interesting tidbit that you offer, just a bit to
go here. I'm going to go back to that that
they don't have a lot of body fat, because I
think the folks might think that they do because of
their the large size. Right, they are pretty round, but
that is that's all muscle, isn't it.
Speaker 2 (06:40):
Yeah, So a majority of their weight is going to
come from muscle, and they have solid bones for a
majority of their structure, so those bones add to their weight.
And then they have a very large digestive tract, So
all of those things are going to make up that
manateese size and that weight. So that round shape, but
they're very muscular, it is not not fat.
Speaker 1 (07:03):
I don't know if you're following what's been going on
as far as with the manite mortalities this year, But
I know that several years ago we had that record
of I believe it was eleven hundred and one, and
then we've kind of come down since. And a lot
of that, you know, from the record, was not even
due to the boat strikes, though obviously that's a part
(07:24):
of it. It was the starvation because of the Indian
River lagoon and what was going on there. Do we do?
We know where we stand this year, I believe f.
Speaker 2 (07:34):
WC officially ended the unexplained mortality event. So the manatee
numbers are certainly doing better, but I'm not sure exactly.
You can learn more though from sort of fish and wildlife.
Speaker 1 (07:48):
Yeah, and I think that we were I think that
we were around around the five hundred range with you know,
we hate to hear about any of it, but a
lot of that nowadays, unfortunately, is the boat strikes. What
what would you offer as advice to somebody.
Speaker 2 (08:04):
You know, to our local boaters, just be on the
lookout when you're on the water, go slow in those
posted vanatee zone. You can wear those polarized sunglasses to
help cut the glare so you can spot them better
and you can keep a lookout for the vanites shape
as well as manatee footprints, which are the circuit or
(08:26):
pattern on the top of the water that the manatees
tail makes when it's swimming just below the surface. So
there's a lot of things we can do when we're
out on the water to keep an eye out for
them and make sure we're practicing safe boating. But we
can also keep our environment clean and help educate people
about manatees. So the more we know, the more we
can do to help them.
Speaker 1 (08:46):
Is some of this taught also as part of the
educational aspect of manate Lagoon.
Speaker 2 (08:53):
Yes, that is so our mission is to educate the
public all about vanateese and the Lake Riff Lagoon as
well as a fire communities to preserve and protect our
environment and wildlife for future generation. So our center is
all about educating the public about their biology and conservation
strategies and their migration patterns. And then our Manite season
(09:14):
kickoff event is going to feature not only our mini lectures,
but we'll have our exhibit space open and Manatee Lagoon
is even going to have a little table set up
with some trivia and different nanatee.
Speaker 1 (09:27):
Games and all right, So, and just to wrap up here,
it is the kickoff to Manatee season Saturday, November fifteenth,
Manatee Lagoon. The Migration Celebration is the theme. It is
free admission and tell me about parking? Where does somebody park?
And all that?
Speaker 2 (09:47):
Absolutely so our center offers free parking. We have a
main lot and then we also have an additional lot
across the street that'll be open if we need it.
Speaker 1 (09:59):
All right, awesome anything else that I'm not thinking of.
Speaker 2 (10:03):
So for those who aren't near Manitela Doon, you can't
get to us. We do have our live underwater camera
that you can always tune into on our website at
Visitmanitelagoon dot com, so you can check and see what's
going on in our outflow throughout Manatee season. And then
on February seventh, we have our ten year anniversary. So
(10:26):
we have Manateefest twenty twenty six coming up, so definitely
save the date for that exciting, family friendly event.
Speaker 1 (10:33):
And I don't want to jump ahead because we can
catch up with you again as we get closer to that.
But being well, I didn't realize it was already ten
years Manateeefest is always a big event. I'm assuming you're
going to be doing some extra special stuff for the anniversary. Absolutely,
all right, stay tuned for that. Okay, well, I appreciate
you joining us Education coordinator over at Manatee FPL's Manite Lagoon,
(10:56):
Danielle Wurtz, thank you, once again, thank you for having me.
Hey, Joel, Malcolm Ford, WJ and O dot com and
the Florida News Network. Manitee Lagoon kicking off Manate season
here in Florida. Saturday, November fifteenth is when it traditionally begins,
runs through March thirty first, and it just so happens
that November fifteenth is a weekend. It is it is
a weekend this time it is a Saturday, as I mentioned,
(00:21):
so Manite Lagoon can actually happen on the actual start
of manit season. So I found that pretty cool. Manite
Lagoon of course an FPL eco discovery center right in
West Palm Beach, and Danielle Wurtz is joining us from
Manite Lagoon. She's an education coordinator.
Speaker 2 (00:38):
Thanks for coming on, Yeah, thank you so much for
having me.
Speaker 1 (00:42):
We're going to really quick because we have we have
my people that migrate all the time here to our
area to live. Probably about to have a bunch more,
but that's another story. So for folks that aren't familiar
with Manite Lagoon, it was set up at a place
and I've been here long enough to remember before Manite
lagun actually existed. It was an area right next to
(01:04):
the FPL plant and you would have when the weather
kind of cooled off as much as it does cool
off here, you would have the manates gathering. Folks would
always go and just check it out. So I guess
at a certain point FPL said, Hey, you know what,
let's build an ecodiscovery center and really encourage the learning there. Correct.
Speaker 2 (01:25):
Yeah, So we opened in twenty sixteen and we are
located next door to Florida Power and Lights rivera beach
next generation clean energy center. That power plant puts out clean,
warm water, which is why the manatees like to come
into us here.
Speaker 1 (01:43):
So let's talk about the Migration Celebration as you're calling
it this year. That's the theme of manate Lagoon's kickoff
for the Manatee Celebration. Tell me what it's all about,
tell me what people can expect, all that good stuff.
Speaker 2 (02:02):
Absolutely, So, our Manitee season kickoff event is our migration
celebration to welcome our manatees back to the warmer waters.
So we have our event starts at ten and goes
until three pm, and it offers communities or families the
perfect opportunity to connect with Florida's gentle giants and discover
(02:25):
how each of us can play a role in manatee conservation.
So we'll have expert speakers doing a series of mini lectures.
We're going to kick it off with fwc Amber Howell.
We'll be giving a talk on Manitee photo ID and Rescue.
We'll have Tom Meats County Environmental Resource Management give another
(02:45):
talk on our Lakeworth Lagoon at twelve thirty, and then
we'll have Friends of Manatee Lagoon as well as our
education manager will give another all about Manatee' presentation at
two thirty. So lots of educational activity. We'll have some
environmental exhibitors that'll also be here to teach kids about
(03:05):
manatees in our local environment. We'll have face painting, food trucks, games,
fun for the whole family.
Speaker 1 (03:13):
Did you mention the mascot is going to be there.
Speaker 2 (03:16):
Absolutely, Mia the manateee will be here for photo ops.
She's going to help us kick off our celebration at
ten am and then she'll be available for pictures throughout
the day.
Speaker 1 (03:26):
All right, And you know I'm looking at I'm looking ahead.
Speaker 2 (03:29):
Now.
Speaker 1 (03:29):
Things can change, but I'm looking ahead at the forecast.
I'm sure you guys have done that as well. We
can now see next Saturday fifty seven for the morning.
That's the lows from overnight Friday night into Saturday morning
fifty seven, and you're going up to about right now
it says about seventy six mid seventies, but you talk
about ten o'clock when you kind of kick things off
(03:51):
there would that be cool enough to where we could
see see some manatees in the area.
Speaker 2 (03:58):
So there's always as to see the manatees here at
Maniti Lagoon, and they certainly do like to come visit
us when the waters have a chance to cool down.
So if it's cold for long enough for the water
temperatures to come down, we should see the manatees. But
they are wild, so they can be unpredictable.
Speaker 1 (04:17):
You can't tell them what to do, can you.
Speaker 2 (04:20):
I wish we could, but no, they come on their
own time.
Speaker 1 (04:24):
Now I know, isn't there a there is a temperature
right to where you typically would see them. I'm probably
wording this wrong, but I think you understand what I'm saying.
There is a temperature drop like a specific temperature of
the wall. You can only go by the air temperature.
I guess what is it?
Speaker 2 (04:42):
So it's the water temperature. Manatees actually, fun fact, they
don't have very much body fat, so they can't regulate
their internal body temperatures when it gets too cold. So
the temperature that is too cold for a manatee is
going to be anything below sixty degrees fahrenheit, in which
they will actually be susceptible to something called cold struck.
(05:04):
So that's actually the main reason they like to stay
warm at Manite Lagoon when the water is colder than
sixty eight.
Speaker 1 (05:11):
Degrees of course, and if it's been let me look
back here, So yeah, we're going to have Tuesday the
week before, so next Tuesday, because this is coming up
a week from Saturday, as we're talking here, on Thursday,
the sixth of November. So Tuesday's lows in the morning
(05:32):
forty six, and then we're going to be in the
fifties in the morning for the next few nights, So
I would think the temperatures will be cool enough to
where the manates are coming down, because if it's forty
six here that Tuesday morning, it's going to be in
probably the thirties further north. So I think there's a
great chance you're going to see a lot of manates
(05:55):
of course, again, you can't promise that.
Speaker 2 (05:58):
Yes, absolutely, we can't make any promises, but if the
weather works in our favor and it looks like it's
going to and we can keep our fingers crossed that
it stays that way, and then when it does start
to warm up, they do go out for other resources
like food. So they're kind of in and out, but
the weather's looking good for them to be making some
(06:19):
appearances next week.
Speaker 1 (06:20):
An interesting tidbit that you offer, just a bit to
go here. I'm going to go back to that that
they don't have a lot of body fat, because I
think the folks might think that they do because of
their the large size. Right, they are pretty round, but
that is that's all muscle, isn't it.
Speaker 2 (06:40):
Yeah, So a majority of their weight is going to
come from muscle, and they have solid bones for a
majority of their structure, so those bones add to their weight.
And then they have a very large digestive tract, So
all of those things are going to make up that
manateese size and that weight. So that round shape, but
they're very muscular, it is not not fat.
Speaker 1 (07:03):
I don't know if you're following what's been going on
as far as with the manite mortalities this year, But
I know that several years ago we had that record
of I believe it was eleven hundred and one, and
then we've kind of come down since. And a lot
of that, you know, from the record, was not even
due to the boat strikes, though obviously that's a part
(07:24):
of it. It was the starvation because of the Indian
River lagoon and what was going on there. Do we do?
We know where we stand this year, I believe f.
Speaker 2 (07:34):
WC officially ended the unexplained mortality event. So the manatee
numbers are certainly doing better, but I'm not sure exactly.
You can learn more though from sort of fish and wildlife.
Speaker 1 (07:48):
Yeah, and I think that we were I think that
we were around around the five hundred range with you know,
we hate to hear about any of it, but a
lot of that nowadays, unfortunately, is the boat strikes. What
what would you offer as advice to somebody.
Speaker 2 (08:04):
You know, to our local boaters, just be on the
lookout when you're on the water, go slow in those
posted vanatee zone. You can wear those polarized sunglasses to
help cut the glare so you can spot them better
and you can keep a lookout for the vanites shape
as well as manatee footprints, which are the circuit or
(08:26):
pattern on the top of the water that the manatees
tail makes when it's swimming just below the surface. So
there's a lot of things we can do when we're
out on the water to keep an eye out for
them and make sure we're practicing safe boating. But we
can also keep our environment clean and help educate people
about manatees. So the more we know, the more we
can do to help them.
Speaker 1 (08:46):
Is some of this taught also as part of the
educational aspect of manate Lagoon.
Speaker 2 (08:53):
Yes, that is so our mission is to educate the
public all about vanateese and the Lake Riff Lagoon as
well as a fire communities to preserve and protect our
environment and wildlife for future generation. So our center is
all about educating the public about their biology and conservation
strategies and their migration patterns. And then our Manite season
(09:14):
kickoff event is going to feature not only our mini lectures,
but we'll have our exhibit space open and Manatee Lagoon
is even going to have a little table set up
with some trivia and different nanatee.
Speaker 1 (09:27):
Games and all right, So, and just to wrap up here,
it is the kickoff to Manatee season Saturday, November fifteenth,
Manatee Lagoon. The Migration Celebration is the theme. It is
free admission and tell me about parking? Where does somebody park?
And all that?
Speaker 2 (09:47):
Absolutely so our center offers free parking. We have a
main lot and then we also have an additional lot
across the street that'll be open if we need it.
Speaker 1 (09:59):
All right, awesome anything else that I'm not thinking of.
Speaker 2 (10:03):
So for those who aren't near Manitela Doon, you can't
get to us. We do have our live underwater camera
that you can always tune into on our website at
Visitmanitelagoon dot com, so you can check and see what's
going on in our outflow throughout Manatee season. And then
on February seventh, we have our ten year anniversary. So
(10:26):
we have Manateefest twenty twenty six coming up, so definitely
save the date for that exciting, family friendly event.
Speaker 1 (10:33):
And I don't want to jump ahead because we can
catch up with you again as we get closer to that.
But being well, I didn't realize it was already ten
years Manateeefest is always a big event. I'm assuming you're
going to be doing some extra special stuff for the anniversary. Absolutely,
all right, stay tuned for that. Okay, well, I appreciate
you joining us Education coordinator over at Manatee FPL's Manite Lagoon,
(10:56):
Danielle Wurtz, thank you, once again, thank you for having me.
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