TAMPA - Once again manatees face a critical vote that will decide whether they receive the highest protective status available under Florida law. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is expected to vote Wednesday on whether the state's favorite marine mammal is in danger of becoming extinct or is recovering sufficiently to be reclassified from endangered to threatened. The commission was poised to change the manatee's classification in September, but Gov. Charlie Crist asked commissioners to postpone a decision. The governor cited the record number of manatee deaths this past...
photo: Public Domain
