According to an Associated Press report, the manatees are amassing around Florida Power & Light Company’s plant in Riviera Beach, where the company opened the manatee-focused attraction Manatee Lagoon eight years ago. Thus, the manatees are finding some salvation during a chilly spell in the Sunshine State.

A polar vortex that has hit much of the U.S. with ice and snow has dealt a glancing blow to Florida and its manatee population.

A drop in coastal water temperatures in Florida due to a recent polar vortex has caused manatees to search for warmer waters. A polar vortex event in Florida may result from climate change, which is likely to displace various marine animals like manatees.

Florida manatees used to be classified as endangered species, which can get more protection. But, in 2017 they were reclassified as threatened. The new proposed rule said there are many initiatives to manage the species including efforts to improve water quality and restore seagrass.

On Monday, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service published a proposed rule that would keep the Florida manatee at threatened and uplist the Antillean manatee, another west Indian subspecies, to endangered.

Watercraft manatee deaths were up in 2024 as 96 sea cows were hit and killed by vessels in the Sunshine State. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, or FWC, is reporting that 565 manatee deaths were recorded by the state agency last year.