In what officials said they believe to be the first federal criminal prosecution in Florida for striking and killing a manatee with a boat, a Merritt Island man was sentenced Wednesday for killing a sea cow while zipping through a manatee slow zone.
Joseph Miata Jr., 62, who had been cited repeatedly for speeding through manatee zones, had to forfeit his $5,500, 20-foot boat to the federal government and pay a $600 donation to a wildlife conservation group.
"This is the first time that we're aware of that we ever prosecuted someone for a lethal take," said Chuck Underwood, a spokesman for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Miata was criminally charged by the United States Attorney's Office, Orlando Division, in October for violating the Endangered Species Act. The manatee was killed as he sped through Sykes Creek last summer.
http://www.floridatoday.com/article/20110203/NEWS01/102030311/1086/Merritt+Island+man+gets+probation++loses+boat+for+killing+manatee
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