The weather began to clear as John Falzone approached a "manatee zone" buoy near Currie Park in West Palm Beach.

Rain had delayed Falzone as he traveled to Riviera Beach for a family visit, so as the sun finally emerged, he pressed on the throttle, pushing the bow of his Sea Ray upward as he gained speed.

That was a mistake.

Six law enforcement agencies launched "Operation Slow Speed" over the weekend to remind boaters where it hurts that Nov. 15 to March 31 is manatee season, and that means the slow-speed areas have changed.

ENFORCEMENT PUSH

Falzone's acceleration cost him a $65 ticket. He wasn't alone. Despite poor weather on Saturday, officers had written about six tickets and issued many more warnings by late afternoon. The enforcement push continues today.

"We need to protect the manatees now or we'll miss them forever," said Scott Prasse, an officer with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

Manatee slow zones exist throughout South Florida, including Miami-Dade County.

The slow zones in Miami-Dade are numerous, according to a map posted on the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission website: http://floridaconservation.org.

Some of the zones in Miami-Dade are in place year-round while others are active Nov. 15 -- April 30. In Broward, speed zones are also a mixture of year-round and Nov.15 -- March 31.

The holiday effort in Palm Beach County drew boats and officers from the state wildlife agency as well as the Palm Beach police, Manalapan police, the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the U.S. Coast Guard. The federal agencies' tickets are more costly, at $150 each.

"This is something we take very seriously, because manatees are an endangered species," Prasse said.

Manatees are slow-moving mammals that live in brackish waters, munching on beds of sea grass. During the winter, they seek refuge from cold snaps by congregating in warm springs. The balmy outflow from the Florida Power & Light electric plant in Riviera Beach is a favorite spa.

However, it's also an attractive spot for recreational boaters and cruise ships. The manatees have propeller scars on their backs to prove it.

Five manatees were killed in Palm Beach County last year, state records show.

Statewide, biologists counted 2,568 of the animals, down from 3,029 the previous year. In addition to boat propellers and hulls, manatees are vulnerable to red tide, an occasional Gulf Coast algae bloom that produces a damaging neurotoxin.

CONTROVERSY

Still, the state's manatee speed zones are controversial within the boating industry, which successfully pushed legislation this year to require studies of the slow zones' effectiveness and to limit the opportunity to expand manatee protection zones if ''biological goals'' are achieved.

The officers out over the weekend believe the slow zones offer important protection.

The lumbering sea cows have a chance to evade boats that move slowly, they said.

"We see manatees all the time, and you can see the propeller marks on them," said Tom Machate, a Palm Beach police officer.

They don't always survive the injuries, Prasse said.

"I was part of several manatee rescues last year," he said. "Unfortunately, one didn't make it."

The one that died had its tail sliced off, he said.