Soto, Buchanan Continue Bipartisan Push to Protect Manatees

WASHINGTON, D.C. — This week, Congressman Darren Soto (FL-09) announced efforts to continue protecting manatees in the 119^th Congress by co-sponsoring H.R. 135, the Manatee Protection Act of 2025, introduced by Rep. Vern Buchanan (R-FL-16). The Manatee Protection Act of 2025 would officially upgrade the West Indian manatee from "threatened" to "endangered" under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Upgrading their designation under the ESA would require the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (FWS) to refocus their attention on manatee population rehabilitation and allow for increased federal resources, including more funding and personnel.

“Last year, over 550 manatees died in Florida. This is alarming and should prompt us to take action to protect them from experiencing further tragedies. We must do everything in our power to protect these precious mammals,” said Rep. Soto.

“Manatees are beloved, iconic mammals in Florida,” said Rep. Buchanan. “The heart-breaking number of manatee deaths over the past few years is staggering and extremely concerning, which is why upgrading their ESA status is absolutely critical. We must do everything we can to protect these gentle giants and Florida’s official marine mammal.”

Upon introduction, the Manatee Protection Act of 2025 was referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources, of which Rep. Soto is a member. 

Additionally, Rep. Soto re-introduced H.R. 704, the Manatee Stamp Act, to require the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) to issue a manatee semipostal stamp that will generate proceeds for the FWS to continue their efforts to protect manatees and manatee habitats. After its introduction in the 118^th Congress, the USPS released a “Save Manatees” stamp in 2024. 

“We’ve had a couple of tough years with our manatees,” said Rep. Soto. “With unusual mortality events in the last five years—which caused us to lose thousands of manatees in Florida—it is critical to take every possible approach to help these mammals thrive and survive. We were thrilled to see the USPS launch the ‘Save Manatees’ stamp in 2024, which helped save the cost of design, but our bill is still necessary to help proceeds go towards conservation efforts. We are optimistic and hope to see Congress advance the Manatee Stamp Act quickly.” 

Upon introduction, the Manatee Stamp Act was referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources and the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.

###