Less than three months into the new year, a watchdog group says Florida looks to be on pace for another record year for manatee deaths. In just the 70 or so days of 2017, 166 manatees have already been reported dead- 51 of which were caused by cold spells. The Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility Executive Director Jeff Ruch told ABC-7 Florida manatees are “one big freeze away from an ecological disaster.” Last year, a record 538 manatees died in Florida waters, up from 472 in 2016.
