On a summer afternoon, Lucas Johns dialed back his boats engine and idled through the calm, dark water of the Mud River. No manatees surfaced, though they could easily have been gliding just beneath the waters surface, hidden from view.

That possibility is a constant concern for Johns, who has seen firsthand how quickly a peaceful stretch of river can become dangerous for the areas most famous aquatic inhabitants.

Ive hit a manatee, he said. I hate to admit it, but yeah, I hit one in that little stretch of river where we showed you. I hit him at low speed. I saw him immediately. I shut the motor off and trimmed up.

Johns said the Mud River, which links the Gulf with the famed Weeki Wachee River, has changed dramatically in recent years.

The local demographic has changed. Its no longer,

See Full Page