Florida Parks Add Manatee Resources With $250,000 Gift
New signage, programs and equipment at four state parks aim to deepen public understanding of manatees.
Updated on Nov. 6, 2026 in Philanthropy
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The Florida State Parks Foundation announced new manatee-related resources at four state parks, funded by a $250,000 donation from the Delores Barr Weaver Legacy Funds. New educational signage was installed at Manatee Springs State Park and Fanning Springs State Park.
Why it matters
The investment expands public education about manatees across Florida's state park system, which serves residents and visitors statewide. The resources are designed to build deeper understanding of the animals and their habitat.
The Delores Barr Weaver Legacy Funds, a longtime Foundation partner, provided $250,000 for the resources. Blue Spring State Park can host up to 900 manatees during peak winter, and the parks' new materials address that seasonal concentration.
The players
Florida State Parks Foundation
The nonprofit partner of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection that supports state park programs and conservation education.
Delores Barr Weaver Legacy Funds
A longtime partner of the Florida State Parks Foundation whose donation funded the manatee resources.
The details
Blue Spring State Park received new children's books, crafting supplies, an augmented-reality experience and a hydrophone for hearing manatees underwater. Weaver's gift also funded new habitat resources for ambassador manatees at Ellie Schiller Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park and repairs to its manatee patrol boat.
Timeline
1979: Former Gov. Bob Graham first designated November as Manatee Awareness Month.
November 2026: Manatee Awareness Month, when the Foundation announced the new resources.
Philanthropy Context
The gift extends Florida's Manatee Awareness Month, a designation first made by Gov. Bob Graham in 1979, by adding lasting on-site education at state parks. It shows private philanthropy supporting public conservation programs that the state has promoted for nearly five decades.
Visitors to Manatee Springs, Fanning Springs, Homosassa Springs and Blue Spring state parks can now access new signage and programs about manatees. The updates are most useful for families planning winter visits, when manatees gather at Blue Spring.
The takeaway
Private donations can extend public conservation education in ways that reach visitors directly at the sites where wildlife lives. Anyone visiting Florida's springs in winter can use the new materials to learn how manatees depend on warm water.
Further reading
For more on how private gifts support public programs, see Philanthropy coverage of Florida.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Tallahassee Democrat.
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Would you plan a visit to a Florida state park to see manatees this month?
