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
The weekly build has been paused since October 6, 2026. The seasons and dates below still hold. Events are the ones the last finished build found, in the week of 2026-09-13, that have not happened yet — anything announced since is missing, and nothing here reflects this week's weather.
- 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.