LEE COUNTY, Fla -- Recent cold fronts have prompted dozens of manatees to search for warmer waters in the Orange River. As the weather heats up they'll start heading out into the cooler Caloosahatchee.

Captain Stephen Beyer runs his business with manatees in mind. But the Manatee and Eco River Tours owner says he often sees other vessels going - much too fast in manatee zones.

"What I see yesterday, we counted 15 boats going too fast," he said.

It's something the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Sommission says needs to stop. Especially right now.

"We've had a very significant migration of a lot of manatees up to the Orange River Florida Power and Light discharge canal through the recent cold snap. But now we're experiencing a warming trend. And all these animals will be exiting and heading back down river," said FWC Captain Denis Grealish.

Manatees will swim the 20 mile gauntlet back to find food in the lower Matlacha Pass and San Calos Bay.

"We've got a lot of manatees, and with the boating activity increasing with this nice warm weather theres a lot of potential for encounters," said Grealish.

As for Beyer, he hopes boaters pay more attention and give a little more respect to these endangered mammals.

"There's rules on the road out here. There's rules on the road, in the water," he said.

Speeding in a manatee zone can result in as much as a $125 fine. Last year, Lee County led the state in manatees killed by watercraft. A total of 14 died as a result of collisions.