Helen Spivey (born May 10, 1928; died April 20, 2022) was an American environmentalist and former member of the Florida House of Representatives.[1] She grew up in New Jersey. In 1972 she moved to Crystal River, Florida. She was an advocate for manatees serving as Co-Chair of Save the Manatee Club’s Board of Directors alongside Jimmy Buffett.[2] She was an active member of the Democratic party.[3]
She was succeeded in the Florida House by Nancy Argenziano. She was known as the Manatee Lady.[4] In 2011, Spivey's conservation work was recognized by the United States House of Representatives when Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz celebrated Spivey receiving the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s 2010 Regional Director’s Conservation Award.[5]
Helen Spivey died April 20, 2020 at the age of 94.[6]
References
edit- ^ "Membership of the Florida House of Representatives by County 1845-2020" (PDF). Compiled and Published under the Direction of the Clerk of the House. Florida House of Representatives. Retrieved 7 December 2020.
- ^ Sadusky, Nancy (2022-06-01). "Remembering the Manatee Lady Helen Spivey". Save the Manatee. Retrieved 2023-12-07.
- ^ "Helen Spivey is more than the "manatee lady'". Tampa Bay Times.
- ^ Kennedy, Nancy. "The Manatee Lady at 92, still spunky but taking things easy". Chronicle Online.
- ^ "Congressional Record - Extensions of Remarks" (PDF). United States House of Representatives. Retrieved 7 December 2020.
- ^ Sadusky, Nancy (2022-06-01). "Remembering the Manatee Lady Helen Spivey". Save the Manatee. Retrieved 2023-12-07.