The indexnightthe week of, at best
Manatee aggregations — Blue Spring run
Fires when 2+ consecutive nights ≤ 48F; verify count via webcam before driving
Photograph Nonbinary-Naturalist · CC0
- Where
- Blue Spring State Park, Orange City
- Drive
- 75 minutes from Lakeland
- In season
- November through March
- Peak
- December and January and February
- Certainty
- the week of, at best
- Drone
- no
Flying here
Florida State Parks: Launch and landing are prohibited inside the park boundary (FAC 62D-2.014(15), which bans causing any aerial apparatus to take off from or land in a park). The rule governs the ground, not the airspace — the airspace is the FAA's. Flying in from legal ground outside the boundary is a different question, and one you have to answer yourself: airspace authorisation, any active TFR, wildlife-harassment law and unbroken line of sight are all still on you.
From the field
Daily posted counts + live webcams = the only pre-drive-verifiable wildlife subject in the region. Park hits capacity by 9-10a after cold snaps.