Meet the Manatee

LUNCH TIME: A manatee, with its reflection in the surface water above, munches on some aquatic vegetation in the warm waters of Weeki Wachee Spring, about 45 miles north of Tampa. (The News-Press file photo) New "eco-boats" offer manatee watchers a chance to get close to the sea cows. Watching should be good for at least two more months. (The News-Press file photo) CALL US TOLL FREE 1-877-FLA-SWIM We are located 65 miles north of Tampa on the west coast. We are also 65 miles west of Orlando, only 60 minuets to Walt Disney World, Universal Studios, Epcot Center, and Sea World. We believe that small groups of 6 to 12 is the way to really see the Manatee, their natural habits, and behavior patterns. Putting 20 to 40 people in the water with these fragile docile creatures is TOTALLY RIDICULOUS. We offer personalized tours for you and your family. Their are less than 3,000 of these animals left in the world, and when they're gone they're gone. We want you to see the real Florida the way it used to be. Morning Tours Start at just 29.00

Meet the Manatee They're big, they're endangered, they're highly controversial and they're hungry. But how much else do you really know about this elephantine water mammal? By AMY WILLIAMS awilliams@news-press.com LUNCH TIME: A manatee, with its reflection in the surface water above, munches on some aquatic vegetation in the warm waters of Weeki Wachee Spring, about 45 miles north of Tampa. (The News-Press file photo) It'd be hard to find an unlikelier lightning rod than the manatee, an animal routinely described as gentle, lumbering and docile. Yet these big creatures are at the center of a ferocious debate pitting conservationists against boaters, with each side suspecting the other of hidden agendas and impure motives. What follows, however, is not about the controversy; it's a general look at manatees in Southwest Florida: their habits, their relatives and even a few jokes about them. We'll also tell you where you might see them. Underwater elephants? Manatees are mammals, which means they're warm-blooded, nurse their young and have hair, though not much more than their bristly mustaches. They're related to elephants and other pachyderms, though distantly. Like elephants, they're big — 2,000 or so pounds — thick-skinned plant-eaters. Like elephants, they have "marching molars," which means their teeth move from the rear of their jaws, move forward and eventually fall out from the front of their mouths, to be replaced again from the rear, says Fort Myers marine biologist Bob Wasno, who's worked extensively with manatees. This can happen as many as five times during their lives. Unlike elephants, manatees are quite slow — three to five miles an hour generally (though capable of 15-mile-an-hour bursts) - and possessed of a relatively tiny brain. Their skin, Wasno reports, feels like a wet football. New "eco-boats" offer manatee watchers a chance to get close to the sea cows. Watching should be good for at least two more months. (The News-Press file photo) When a manatee is just hanging out and grazing, he says, it'll surface for a breath of air every three or four minutes; if it's exerting itself, it may need to breathe every 30 seconds, and when it's sleeping, it can go up to 15 minutes between breaths. Manatees can live more than 50 years in captivity, says Dieter Ruedi, a Swiss professor of wild animal medicine and a partner in east Fort Myers' Manatee World. In the wild, Wasno says, they live between 15 and 25 years. Calves nurse for about a year, and females start breeding when they're between 3 and 5 years old, though many females' first calves die, he says. Charismatic megafauna Huh? That's the way some canny conservationists refer to big animals that appeal to a lot of people — animals like panthers, bald eagles and especially manatees — and can attract people to environmental causes. And products too. "When this company started in 1997, research showed that manatees were one of the things people were strongly attuned to. There's a tremendous cult of people who want to save the manatee and will do virtually anything to help," says Anthony Abbate, owner of Naples-based Manatee Coffee Co., which sells a line of gourmet blends. "Anything to do with the manatee has a great association in people's minds." So the company pledged to donate a portion of its revenue to the Save the Manatee Club and its coffees are for sale in places like The Ritz-Carlton, Naples, gift shops on Sanibel and Captiva and Sun Harvest Citrus in Fort Myers as well as online: www.manateecoffee.com. So what are they really like? Describing manatees as gentle giants has become almost a cliche, yet there's something to that, says Ruedi. "They're not territorial, not very social, they have no real hierarchy. Think about it — before humans, this is an animal in a sub-tropical, tropical climate with plenty of food, never had any real enemies — why would they need a strict social order? Why would they need to dominate each other?" Manatees are decidedly nonaggressive. And how could they be? With no front teeth, claws or horns, they can't bite, scratch or poke each other. The nastiest they get is at breeding time, when males who want a shot at the same female might bump into each other. Wasno says, "They're like the old man next door; they're just into going about their business and not much else. You just don't see much excitement in them." Except when food is involved. Then, he says, "They're like cows — they know when that hay's coming out of the barn and that's when you see 'em really moving. They're eating machines." They don't taste like chicken In a 1995 interview, Charlie Weeks, son of one of the area's oldest fishing families, reminisced about his childhood. Weeks, who now runs Estero Bay Boat Tours, said, "When I was real young we ate a lot of manatee. There was no waste on a manatee. A couple of families would get together and eat the meat," he said. "The fat was used for cooking oil. It made a great cooking oil." As for the flavor: "It just tastes like manatee." Another classic (though possibly apocryphal) tale that circulates in local newsrooms has a reporter interviewing a Seminole chief about the old days and old ways, and when the subject of food comes up, the chief says that his people used to kill and eat manatee. After the predictably horrified politically correct response, the reporter regains enough poise to ask him what manatee tastes like. After a thoughtful pause, the chief says, "A lot like bald eagle." Common name: West Indian manatee Scientific name: Trichechus manatus Where they live: In Southwest Florida, primarily in the Gulf of Mexico's coastal estuaries. However, when the water temperature drops below 70 degrees, they look for warmer water. In Lee County, the warm water discharge of the Florida Power & Light plant near the confluence of the Caloosahatchee and Orange rivers attracts them; Manatee Park was built there to take advantage of the viewing opportunities. How big they are: 8 to 14 feet long, they can weigh up to 3,000 pounds (bigger than a Honda Civic), though 1,200 to 2,000 pounds is more common. What they eat: Water plants, including sea grasses, water hyacinths and water lettuce. A full-grown manatee can eat 100 pounds of vegetation a day. Federal status: Endangered Who needs GPS? Wasno was once tracking a tagged manatee named Myers who spent most of his time hanging out in Charlotte County around the Peace River. Then one day, he was gone. "Couldn't locate him anywhere," Wasno recalls. So he got the word out to the local papers and in just a few days, he had a call from a man in Marco Island, who'd found Myers swimming in his canal. Shortly after that, he was back up where he'd started - at least a 120-mile round trip. "That's some pretty impressive underwater navigating," Wasno says. "Better than I can do with maps and a compass." Did you hear the one about! There are even manatee jokes — these come from the Web site miximals.com/manatee/jokes.html Who held the baby manatee for ransom? Squidnappers To whom does a manatee go to borrow money? The loan shark See them for yourself Lee County Manatee Park: The park, on State Road 80, a mile and a half east of Interstate 75, across from the FPL plant, offers decks and walkways from which to view manatees, as well as information kiosks, boat rentals and a gift shop with plenty of manatee stuff. It's open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily through the end of March. Call 432-2038. Online: www.lee-county. com/parksandrec/manatee.htm Manatee World: Offers narrated cruises in manatee habitat. Canoes, kayaks and rental boats also are available for self-guided safaris. On State Road 80, east of Interstate 75. Call 693-1434. Online: www.manateeworld.com. J.C. Cruises: Offers manatee-watching trips from the Fort Myers Yacht Basin on Edwards Drive in Fort Myers. Call 334-7474 or 334-2743. Keep up-to-date The Manatee Park viewing update line offers general information on manatee habits and habitat as well as how many manatees have visited the park recently and what's the best time to see them. Call 694-3537. Learn more online: www.thewildones.org/Animals/manatee.html www.geobop.com/ World/NA/US/FL/Mammal2.htm floridawildlifemagazine.com/species/manatee.htm

WaterFrontFortMyers.com-Pet Friendly-located on the Carolina Ave. canal with boat dock available and solar heated pool (Time Square area of Estero Island) and only 150 yards to the beautiful white sands of Estero Island in the Gulf of Mexico. Be in the Gulf of Mexico within 1 minute from our boat docks. WaterfrontFortMyers.com provides free bikes available upon request, free fishing on our docks, free wireless internet access, and laundry facility. We are located on the Carolina Ave. canal street facing Hooters Restaurant, and 300 yards away from the Beached Whale restaurant in theTime Square area of Fort Myers Beach . Our location is quiet and peaceful.

Estero Island bird watching fun in the sun boating Twins Spring Season manatee tours Indian mounds golf courses Big M casino boat Red Sox Spring Season dolphin tours Caloosahatchee river tours charter boats Key West shuttle Stars and Strips for charter everglade tours Hurricane Charlie '04 snorkeling Salty Sams Marina beach cruises Edison & Ford Estates Fort Myers world famous Tanger outlet stores FMB Time Square prehistoric sharks restaurants Disney World fishing butterflies Lover's Key Shell Factory restaurant reviews History of Estero Island Panoramic view Time Square area attractions Must see Eco-Archaeo Trail

CHECK-IN: Check-in time is after 3:00 P.M EASTERN TIME. During peak season some units may not be ready by 3:00 P.M. Your patience will be appreciated. Arrivals will find the lockbox combination on their front door knob. Please check-in at the Rental Unit you are assigned. If you discover any deficiencies in the inventory or damage to the property upon your arrival, it is your responsibility to immediately inform WaterfrontFortMyers Inc. so you are not held responsible for the cost of repairing and/or replacing same.

OCCUPANCY: WaterfrontFortMyers Inc. is very serious about maintaining a family atmosphere for the quiet enjoyment of all our guests. We will rent to families and RESPONSIBLE ADULTS over the age of 25, proof of age is required. The total number of persons allowed in the unit at any time is restricted to the stated limit for each property. Absolutely no house/pool parties allowed. Any violators will be ejected according to F. S. 509.141 and will be billed for any damages. Augustine suite max 6 people, 8 people with additional $100 fee per person per week, Aquinas suite max 4 people, Reagan suite max 3 people, and Schaeffer suite max 2 people.

FALSIFIED RESERVATION: Any reservation obtained under false pretense will be subject to forfeiture of any rental prepayments. Guests will not be permitted to check-in.

ABSOLUTELY NO PETS are allowed unless you receive permission (those units that do allow pets, which must be specifically requested in advance). The number of pets must be declared and no unit is to exceed one dog or one cat- pet breed must be identified. Exceptions are made on an individual basis for two dogs but this must be requested in advance. Additional refundable pet fee have been waived on those units that do permit pets for one dog. A $100.00 non-refundable pet fee is required before occupancy for those people who have been given permission for two dogs, plus an 11% tax will be added to the cleaning and administrative fees. At all times, pet owners are required to clean up after their pets. If any evidence of a pet (s) is found in your unit or on the premises without prior permission, you will be asked to vacate immediately with no refund of any payments.

UNIT ASSIGNMENTS: We reserve the right to change unit assignments at our sole discretion without prior written notice and without any refund, this clause rarely happening. When you confirm a reservation, a unit will be assigned, however, no request or a specific unit is guaranteed. If a unit change becomes necessary, every attempt will be made to contact you by mail with a new confirmation and/or by a telephone call.

PAYMENT SCHEDULE: All on-line or phone bookings require an initial pre-payment of $300 - $500 via paypal or check. The final payment is due 60 days prior to arrival by paypal, cash, check, traveler's checks or bank money orders. All rates are subject to Florida state and local taxes. Should your personal check be returned for any reason, there will be a $35.00 returned check fee added to your balance.

HOUSEKEEPING: NO DAILY MAID SERVICE! Rates include housekeeping service only upon arrival/departure. Linens and bath towels are provided and are not to be taken from the unit. We suggest you bring beach towels. Housekeeping provides initial set-ups of paper towels, bathroom tissue, bath soap, trash can liners and may include single use dishwashing soap. The property is equipped with coin laundry located in the front of the complex facing Carolina Ave. If you wish to have additional service through your stay, we can accommodate this request for an additional charge.

CHECK-OUT PROCEDURE: CHECK-OUT time is prior to 10:00 A.M. DO NOT LEAVE KEYS IN THE PROPERTY!

All keys must be returned to the Lockbox that is located on your front door knob, there is a $50.00 fee for each unreturned key. We ask that you leave the property neat and orderly. All units are inspected before and after each occupancy.

CLEAN-UP AT CHECK-OUT: Place all debris, garbage and discards outside in proper containers located on the left side of the parking lot if you are facing the complex from Carolina Ave. Soiled dishes must be placed in dishwasher and cleaned. Up to three loads of laundry are o.k. Don't make your bed (.you are on vacation until you get home). Unit must be left in a neat and orderly condition (there is a minimum $50.00 charge if extra cleaning and rearranging of the furniture is required).

All windows/doors must be closed and locked.

PLEASE NOTE: IF EXPENSES ARE INCURRED TO REPAIR DAMAGE, REPLACE MISSING ITEMS, PAY FOR EXTRA CLEANING OR ANY OTHER VIOLATIONS OF THE RENTAL POLICY AS A RESULT OF YOUR STAY, WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO CHARGE YOUR CREDIT CARD TO OFFSET EXPENSES AND ADMINISTRATIVE FEES.

LOCKOUTS: If you lock yourself out of your property after office hours, you can call our emergency phone number 239-826-6460 . Our emergency service will either allow you back in for a cash fee of $50.00 or contact a local Locksmith to allow you back in the property. You will be responsible for paying any applicable fees directly to the emergency service or the locksmith at the time they come out.

CANCELLATIONS: Reservation prepayments will NOT be refunded unless the unit is re-rented for the same rental payment and time period reserved. If refunded WaterfrontFortMyers Inc. will retain $100.00 plus 11% taxes for a service fee. We strongly recommend that you purchase trip insurance for your protection.

CANCELLATIONS OR EARLY DEPARTURES FOR ANY REASON (EXCLUDING MANDATORY EVACUATION) DO NOT WARRANT ANY REFUND OF PREPAYMENTS OR RENT. Room changes are considered the same as a cancellation since the properties are individually owned.

DAMAGES: Damages must not be the result of willful, wanton or grossly negligent behavior, or damages by a pet. WaterfrontFortMyers Inc. has the final judgment in all instances. You must furnish a credit card to be used as a line of credit in case damages are deemed intentional. PLEASE NOTE: IF EXPENSES ARE INCURRED TO REPAIR DAMAGE, REPLACE MISSING ITEMS, PAY FOR EXTRA CLEANING OR ANY OTHER VIOLATION OF THE RENTAL POLICY AS A RESULT OF YOUR STAY, WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO CHARGE YOUR CREDIT CARD TO OFFSET EXPENSES AND ADMINISTRATIVE FEES.

INDEMNIFICATION OF DAMAGES: By taking occupancy of the property, you agree to WaterfrontFortMyers Inc. to have an equitable lien on your personal and real property, wherever located, to secure payment of costs relating to damages. Your further agree that WaterfrontFortMyers Inc.. may enforce its claim of lien against you by foreclosing on your real property and/0r obtaining a judgment against you. You acknowledge and agree that WaterfrontFortMyers Inc.. right to enforce such lien is not an unreasonable penalty or forfeiture.

UTILITIES: No compensation will be given for temporary outage of electricity, gas, water, cable or telephone service. Outages should be reported immediately and all efforts will be made to have them restored as soon as possible. The operation and maintenance of these utilities is out of the control of the owner/ WaterfrontFortMyers.

PHONE SERVICE: There is no charge for local calls. All units have a party line and long distance phone calls are blocked, No International calls allowed unless charged to your phone card. The phone number for all units is 239-463-2583 .

ITEMS LEFT IN UNIT: WaterfrontFortMyers Inc. is not responsible for personal items left in a unit. If items are found and you wish them returned, there will be a $ 35.00 service charge plus shipping costs.

FURNISHINGS: Our vacation rentals are individually owned and furnished.

· Please do not rearrange the furniture, take any items outside that are part of the interior décor, move any furnishings or kitchen items to another unit.

· You will be charged if we have to rearrange the furniture after your stay. The unit descriptions were correct at the time of printing, but subsequent owner renovations may have resulted in changes. Although every effort has been made for accuracy, WaterfrontFortMyers is not responsible for errors, for property changes made by the owners, or for any conditions beyond our control upon arrival.

· NOTE: Rental agent represents property to the best of his/her ability and assumes no liability for errors or omissions. Since the premises are privately owned, WaterfrontFortMyers Inc. shall be responsible for any additional furnishings not presently in the property.

· Renter expressly agrees to indemnify owner for any damages or costs to the premises, furnishings, equipment and household items therein, which occur during renter's occupancy excluding normal wear and tear.

· PLEASE NOTE: IF EXPENSES ARE INCURRED TO REPAIR DAMAGE, REPLACE MISSING ITEMS, PAY FOR EXTRA CLEANING OR ANY OTHER VIOLATION OF THE RENTAL POLICY AS A RESULT OF YOUR STAY, WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO CHARGE YOUR CREDIT CARD TO OFFSET EXPENSES AND ADMINISTRATIVE FEES.

PARKING: Please park in designated areas only. Parking regulations are as follows.

· Augustine unit has 2 parking spots allocated located on the furthest most left side on the parking lot (facing from Carolina Ave. towards the complex. These cars are to be parked back to back to each other.

· Reagan, Aquinas, and Schaeffer units all are allocated 1 parking spot

· No guest cars are ever allowed on our parking lot and will be towed at owner's expense

· $100 fine will be assessed against any guest who violated the parking agreement for guest cars parked in our parking lot.

· R.V.'s, Boats, motor homes, travel trailers, trucks, motorcycles, trailers, etc., are not permitted without prior approval and will be subject to towing. We do not have room in our parking lot for any of these items.

RULES AND REGULATIONS: All guests, as well as Owners, are required to conform to all rules and regulations. Violators are subject to ejection, according to Florida Statute 509.141.

REPAIRS: Our staff is here to make sure your vacation home is in the best condition that it can be. If you should discover otherwise, please report it to us immediately and we will correct it as quickly as possible; however no refunds will be given for appliance failure or other circumstances beyond our control. Please do not wait until you are checking-out to let us know about problems, as we no longer have the opportunity to rectify the situation. At times we must wait for parts or service. Please bear with us during these times.

NON-SMOKING UNITS: Smoking is strictly prohibited inside ALL rental units. You will incur any charges for carpet cleaning and deodorizing if any evidence of smoking is found in your non-smoking unit.

AGENCY DISCLOSURE: WaterfrontFortMyers Inc. is the agent of the property owner and is acting at all times, in and for the best interest of the owners. Agent will not be held responsible for acts of theft or vandalism or damages to the guest's personal property.

Please call for details or to reserve your dates. We are pet friendly, family friendly property. Free bikes provided upon request, two boat docks for fishing right at the property, pool, two boat docks

http://rentalo.com/108760/waterfrontpetfriendly.html

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