ORLANDO, Fla. — Three environmental groups are planning to sue the federal government for failing to expand protected habitat areas for manatees in Florida and Puerto Rico.
The groups provided the Department of the Interior with a 60-day notice before filing their lawsuit.
They claim federal officials missed a 2024 deadline to expand the protected lands.
A 2024 proposal by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service would have added nearly 1 million acres of critical habitat in Florida.
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