A co-owner of the Boston Celtics is donating $2 million toward protecting the Florida manatees and their habitat following two seasons of record-breaking manatee mortalities in the state.

The unprecedented, experimental program to feed starving manatees in Florida is ending but the greater issue is the polluted water that causes the marine mammals to run out of their natural seagrass forage.

Three conservation groups have filed formal notice of their intent to sue the Environmental Protection Agency if it doesn't take steps to protect manatees from water pollution in Florida.

The state is approaching 1,000 manatee deaths this year, from a population estimated around 8,800, with a large number of the deaths linked to poor water quality along the East Coast.

More manatees have died already this year than in any other year in Florida’s recorded history, primarily from starvation due to the loss of seagrass beds.

Manatees are having a difficult time in Florida. So far, 819 manatee fatalities have been recorded by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission through June 25. For perspective, that is 182 more manatee deaths than the total recorded in 2020.

Manatees are having a difficult time in Florida. So far, 749 manatee fatalities have been recorded by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission through May 21. That is 112 more manatee deaths compared to last year.

Manatees are having a difficult time in Florida. The lumbering underwater mammals have been challenged by boat collisions and habitat degradation, but a food shortage is hastening their continued decline.

VERO BEACH, Fla. – It’s common to see sharks and alligators in Florida, but it is rare to see both together. Gray Vinson shared a video with WKMG showing a gator wading through the water. To the left of the screen is what appears to be a small shark swimming at pace with the gator. He said he was on a walking bridge in Vero Beach when he first noticed the gator around noon. Thanks for sharing!” and “Come on...that’s amazing,” were some of the comments shared on the Facebook video.

The situation is threatening a number of species, including manatees, who depend on seagrass for food. AdAn expert who has spent 40 years studying manatees in Central Florida said dead manatees are being found with nearly nothing in their stomachs. Essentially, it’s an emergency.”Rose and others blame the seagrass loss for a spike in manatee deaths this winter. In all of 2020, there were 637 manatee deaths across Florida. The Indian River Lagoon system stretches 165 miles from Volusia County south to Port St. Lucie.

Mark Wilson/Getty ImagesTALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Space Florida, the states aerospace arm, received a $90 million federal transportation grant Monday to replace a State Road 405 bridge over the Indian River Lagoon that links Cape Canaveral to the mainland. The existing bridge is a NASA bridge that needs replacement, so the state applied its capabilities to assure the continued success of the Cape Canaveral Spaceport, Space Florida said in a tweet. The Space Florida Board of Directors in March backed an application for the federal transportation grant, which is expected to help fund a Florida Department of Transportation project to replace the 55-year-old drawbridge and to widen Space Commerce Way. The road is the main access to Kennedy Space Center Visitors Complex and Exploration Park, a business park operated by Space Florida. NASA and Space Florida are expected to split 40 percent of the cost.