Florida
Melby the manatee rescued from Melbourne Beach storm drain, now recovering
Trapped manatee rescued from storm drain beneath Melbourne Beach road
Numerous agencies came together to rescue a manatee trapped in a stormwater baffle box in Melbourne Beach.
A juvenile male manatee dubbed “Melby” is on the mend at SeaWorld in Orlando, after unknown hours trapped in a Melbourne Beach storm drain.
Florida wildlife officials say it was a quick call from the public to a wildlife hotline and a fast response from local, state and federal agencies that kept Melby’s life from just going ‘down the drain.’
Now, Melby’s on the mend — and hungry.
“He showed some interest in food during his first night, which is an encouraging sign,” Kristen Turner, spokeswoman for Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, said Tuesday via email. “His condition continues to be evaluated.”
Firefighters, multiple agencies step up to save ‘Melby’
Just after 9 p.m. Monday, Feb. 9, Brevard firefighters helped to excavate and remove Melby from a storm drain with the help of multiple partners.
Melby measures about seven feet in length and weighs about 410 pounds. Rescue workers from several agencies, including FWC, Brevard County Fire Rescue and others, converged on Neptune Drive in the beachside community to extract the manatee.
“During the initial onsite health assessment, responders noted the manatee was underweight and had multiple open wounds on the underside near the tail and flippers,” Turner added. “The manatee was alert and moving at the time of rescue but had been exposed to shallow, cold water and likely had been inside the culvert for an extended period of time.”
FWC can’t say for sure if cold drove Melby down the drain but that’s the most likely reason.
“While rare, manatees are naturally curious may enter culverts and similar structures, and these situations often go unnoticed,” Turner added. “In many cases, animals are not found alive. This rescue had a positive outcome because someone immediately called the FWC Wildlife Alert Hotline, allowing responders to act quickly.”
The manatee was pulled from the underground baffle box after utility workers dug through several feet of concrete to reach the trapped mammal.
Workers continued their efforts for several hours as the nighttime chill descended on the area. Heavy equipment was brought in to slice into the roadway and remove the drain lid as lights glared.
A tow truck lifted Melby out of the drain.
It was not immediately known how or when the manatee — a native, threatened Florida species which lives in many of the state’s waterways — wandered into the storm drain.
The rescue drew attention from residents along with media, even with efforts to pull Melby from the drain being livestreamed on YouTube. Manatees are typically drawn to warmer waters during the winter.
What if you see a sick, stranded or dead manatee, or other distressed wildlife?
If you see an injured, distressed, or dead manatee, or any wildlife in need of assistance, please call the FWC Wildlife Alert Hotline at 888-404-FWCC (3922). Your call may save an animal’s life.
Jim Waymer covers environment and local government. Contact him at (321) 261-5903 or jwaymer@floridatoday.com. Follow him on X at @JWayEnviro.
Austin Smotherman will carry a three-stroke lead into the weekend at the Cognizant Classic at The Palm Beaches.
Smotherman followed his opening 62 with a 2-under-par 69 on Friday at PGA National’s Champion Course in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. That brought him to 11 under, comfortably clear of Taylor Moore, who is in second after his second straight 4-under 67.
Cognizant Classic scoreboard
“Yeah, leading a PGA Tour event, come on, pretty awesome,” Smotherman said.
Smotherman, 31, is in fine position for his first win on the PGA Tour since turning pro a decade ago. He has won three times on the Korn Ferry Tour, including last June.
Afterwards, he credited himself with playing “Austin Smotherman golf.” When asked what that meant, he responded, “as boring and simple as it can be.
“That’s what I want to do out there. I feel like I ball strike it good enough to have that kind of boring golf, a bunch of fairways ideally,” he said.
He suffered three bogeys Friday after a bogey-free opening round, but the key stretch for him after starting on the back nine was between Nos. 17 and 3. He birdied four holes in that stretch, starting with a 54-foot bomb at the par-3 17th hole.
“Anything under par I thought would have been (good) following up a round like yesterday, which was a special one,” he said, “and try not to get too far ahead of myself thinking I’m going to make every long putt I’m looking at, like kind of was the feeling yesterday, and then today I still make a 55-footer on 17.”
Moore overcame a bogey in each half of his round with three birdies on either nine, more than counterbalancing the rough patches to earn his second straight solid score.
“I think very different 67s,” Moore said when comparing his rounds. “I didn’t hit many fairways yesterday, kind of grinded a lot, had a couple chip-ins, which obviously helps. I thought I struck the ball much better today. Drove it in the fairways on the par-5s, I felt like. Yeah, still had a few up-and- downs, obviously, with the tough windy conditions this afternoon, but overall I thought it was solid.”
Canadian A.J. Ewart had the round of the day, a 64 that powered him to 7 under for the week. He’s tied with Colombia’s Nico Echavarria (72), and Joel Dahmen is in fifth at 6 under after a second consecutive 68.
Ewart, who played for nearby Barry University in college, came in with some familiarity.
“We used to come and watch this tournament when I was at school. I think I came up here twice, maybe three times and watched,” Ewart said. “I had never actually played the golf course, but I felt like I knew it just from watching it.”
Irishman Shane Lowry, one of the most recognizable players in the field, is in a large knot for sixth at 5 under after posting a 67. Defending champion Joe Highsmith made the cut on the number at even par.
Notable players who missed the cut included Webb Simpson (1 over), Gary Woodland (2 over), Matt Kuchar (2 over) and Canada’s Adam Hadwin (3 over).
Kim maintains narrow lead in Singapore
Auston Kim maintained a narrow lead over three seasoned competitors with a 3-under-par 69 on Friday at the HSBC Women’s World Championship in Singapore.
Kim carded five birdies and a double-bogey at the par-5 16th hole at Sentosa Golf Club to move to 9-under par, one shot ahead of major champions Minjee Lee of Australia (64 on Friday) and Thailand’s Ariya Jutanugarn (67) and three- time LPGA Tour winner Haeran Ryu of South Korea (68).
Lurking two shots back at 7-under in the no-cut event are Australia’s Hannah Green (66), Denmark’s Nanna Koerstz Madsen (68), Sweden’s Linn Grant (69) and England’s Mimi Rhodes (69).
Kim, an LPGA Tour member since 2024, has been knocking on the door of her first tour win. The American has eight finishes in the top 10 and was the runner-up at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship last season.
“I think just sticking to my process. I’m trying to earn each shot and win each shot and win each day,” Kim, 25, said of her strategy heading into the weekend. “I can put a hundred percent of my focus into every single shot and try my best to execute each time, I’ll do well.”
Lee soared into contention with an eagle at the par-4 second hole and six birdies in a bogey-free round.
“I think just I holed a few more putts out there,” Lee said of the difference between Friday’s play and her opening-round of 72. “I holed a few long ones and I also holed out for eagle on the second. That always helps the score.”
Jutanugarn had six birdies, including three straight from holes Nos. 5-7, and one bogey.
Ryu collected four birdies in a round free of bogeys, but not free from pain.
“Today, my neck was so bad and I cannot turn it around, it’s so hard, my neck,” Ryu said. “But yeah, golf is not perfect. I just think about it, just hit the fairway and the green. Yeah, that’s good for me. There’s a lot of birdies, and yeah, I’m so happy.”
Angel Yin matched Lee for the low round of the day with a 64 to move into a tie for ninth at 6-under.
Defending champion Lydia Ko of New Zealand (72) remained a 2-under posting four birdies and four bogeys.
World No. 1 Jeeno Thitikul of Thailand is tied for 33rd at 1-under after a round of 70.
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