The New York Times reports today that Florida Republican Governor Charlie Crist asked to delay the vote today to reclassify the gentle, gigantic manatee as threatened (rather than endangered). The Governor hopes the delay will give the panel more time to review the issues, including the fact that there were 417 manatee deaths last year and will ultimately "preserve one of our state's beloved natural resources."
It takes backbone to protect manatees (the grace of Fred Astaire, the body of Fred Flintstone) from the coalition of Florida speedboaters.
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As reported in the NYTimes, Florida's Governor Charlie Crist has asked the state's Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to delay a vote scheduled today on reclassifying the Florida manatee to threatened from endangered. With factors like possible power plant closures to consider, Thank Crist!
This sounds encouraging, albeit I note it's only a "request" for a "delay" (on the vote). Any idea when there will be a decision on the requested delay?