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The objective of the Palm Beach County Manatee Protection Plan (MPP) is to improve overall protection for manatees while ensuring adequate public access to County waterways. Its primary goal is to establish guidelines and policies that direct new (or expanded) boating facilities to areas posing the least risk to manatees and away from areas of relatively high risk. Other goals include protecting manatee habitat, promoting boating safety, and increasing public awareness of the need to protect manatees and their habitat. The Palm Beach County MPP relies heavily on education and enforcement as a means of protecting manatees within the County and mitigating for the effects of new boat slips. The plan covers all estuarine waters and the portion of Lake Okeechobee within Palm Beach County.

The plan was approved by the Palm Beach County Board of County Commissioners on August 21, 2007. Municipalities are encouraged to adopt the plan as part of their Comprehensive Land Use Plans.

Technical Resources

• Palm Beach County Manatee Protection Plan [12.3 MB]
• Status Report for the 2010-2011 Manatee Season

• Sign up for the next Young Photographers Event on May 24th! [PDF]
• Read the latest edition of Environmental Times, Spring 2013 [PDF]
• Read the latest edition of Lake Worth Lagoon E-News, Spring 2013 [PDF]
• Download a FREE 2013 Palm Beach County Natural Areas Calendar! [PDF]
• Stay up to date with the Department's Monthly Status Reports.