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Published on: 1/1/2009
Last Visited: 1/1/2009
Programs, such as the full-time deputy's salary, are supported through permits and licensing fees paid by developers for the construction of new marine-related properties that fall under the plan's guidelines, said Pat Quinn, natural resource specialist with the Broward County Environmental Protection and Growth Management Department.
The patrol's startup couldn't have come at a better time.
More manatees are being spotted this season than anyone can remember.
Cold fronts in the northern part of the state have caused the creatures to seek out warmer refuge early, Quinn said.
An aerial count on Dec. 18 noted 478 manatees in the South Fork of the New River, the Dania Cut-Off Canal, Intracoastal Waterway, the canal at the Port Everglades Power Plant and the cooling lakes at the Fort Lauderdale Power Plant.
A similar survey, taken around the same time in 2007, was 29, Quinn said.
The annual manatee migration season runs through March 31.
Although there is a year round population, winter is when the highest number of mammals take up residency here.
The current tally is extremely unusual, Quinn said.
"It's remarkable," he said.
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