We decided to visit the Florida Power and Light (FPL) Manatee viewing area while in West Palm Beach. It’s a wonderful facility and totally free to the public. Just be sure to go there in the winter, when manatees are attracted to the warm water from the power plant.
You can observe from ground level or go up to the second floor balcony. Go up, you’ll be glad you did. The angle allows much improved viewing. The gentle giants treat this area as their hot tub, so they hang tend to hang out here until they get warmed up.
As you can see there were several enjoying the warm water on the January day we were there.
In addition to the outdoor viewing area, they have educational displays inside, and even offer various seminars on related topics. It’s nice to see FPL giving back to the community in such a tangible way.
We even saw a spotted ray and some other fish enjoying the warmth. We can’t stress enough what a beautiful facility FPL has created here. All because they noticed that manatees congregated in the warm outflow.
All in all a nice way to spend a couple hours, or more if you’re so inclined. We really enjoyed our stay and would certainly recommend it if you’re in the area during southern Florida’s “winter”.
Note to photographers: Don’t forget your polarizing filter. I did, and ended up shooting most of these pictures through my polarized sunglasses. ~Tom