A manatee that was rescued and rehabilitated by Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission (FWC) and SeaWorld was released back into the wild at Three Sisters Springs. Florida First Lady Casey DeSantis joined the effort with fellow volunteers to assist with the release. Below is an official press release from the office of Gov. Ron DeSantis:

The manatee, named Toast, was rescued at Kings Bay near Three Sisters Springs in January after suffering from a natural buoyancy problem. The manatee was taken to SeaWorld Orlando’s rescue and rehabilitation facility. The First Lady assisted FWC and SeaWorld as they conducted a final medical evaluation of the manatee before releasing him back into the water.

“It was a joy to be a part of this release and to see a rehabilitated manatee be returned to his home, happy and healthy,” said First Lady Casey DeSantis. “I am proud of the work that FWC and their partners, like SeaWorld, do to help these animals when they are in need. The Governor is committed to providing the resources necessary for these gentle sea giants to thrive in Florida’s waterways, and I am happy to see that Florida’s investments are paying off for the manatee population.”

“We were delighted to have First Lady Casey DeSantis join us in releasing a rehabilitated manatee back into the wild,” said FWC Executive Director Roger Young. “Governor DeSantis’ bold leadership in funding manatee protection, habitat restoration, and rehabilitation ensures their sustainability for years to come.”

Florida manatees face many threats including watercraft strikes, cold stress, red tide, entanglement, entrapment, and habitat loss. Under Governor DeSantis’ leadership, the state has taken on a concerted effort to rescue, rehabilitate, and release manatees in need while making record investments to conserve their natural environment. The Manatee Rescue & Rehabilitation Partnership works as a cooperative of agencies, organizations, and private sector partners, to rescue, rehabilitate, and release manatees.

Since 2019, Governor DeSantis has funded nearly $70 million for manatee protection, expanding and enhancing manatee rescue and rehabilitation efforts, and providing habitat restoration for areas where manatees are highly concentrated. Additionally, Florida has invested $380 million to restore Florida’s world-renowned springs which serve as an important manatee habitat when the animals seek warmer waters in the wintertime. As a result, in 2023, Florida manatees had the lowest mortality rate since 2017. And, in January of this year, Blue Spring State Park saw a record 932 manatees seeking warm waters in their spring, beating their previous record on New Year’s Day of 736 manatees.