Manatees face added danger during busy holiday weekends, simply because there are generally more boaters on the water passing through manatee restricted-speed zones. Boaters should be aware of where the zones are, so they don’t have any surprises when they come upon them. Maps of the zones can be found at MyFWC.com/Manatee.

At its meeting in St. Augustine Wednesday, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) adopted a rule change that provides approximately four additional hours of daylight hunting to the state’s recreational alligator hunting season. The change will be in effect for this year’s season: Aug. 15 – Nov. 1.