At Three Sisters Springs, Construction Runs on the Manatees' Calendar

Since July, crews have been rebuilding the Three Sisters Springs boardwalk one section at a time, and the city's boardwalk page still warns that some sections can't be walked right now. That changes in about five weeks. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service plans to stop work when manatee season starts in November, keep the springs fully open through the winter, and start again after April 1, 2027. For people who live in Crystal River, that flips the usual calendar. Winter is the busiest season at the springs, and this year it's also when the boardwalk will be at its most complete. The construction moves into the quieter warm months, which locals tend to have mostly to themselves.

Almost everything happening around Three Sisters and Kings Bay this fall follows the same logic. The boardwalk schedule, a second set of amenities and a proposed city ordinance on rental boats all work around the manatees first and plan everything else after that.

Two Projects, One Fence Line

Two separate projects are going on at the refuge, and they have different goals.

The bigger one is federal. The Fish and Wildlife Service is replacing the whole elevated boardwalk around the spring basin and rebuilding the bulkhead that keeps the shoreline from eroding. The total cost is about $10.7 million. Most of it, $8.06 million, comes from the Great American Outdoors Act Legacy Restoration Fund. According to the agency, storms, tides and erosion have damaged the existing structure. Visitors climbing on the shoreline rocks made it worse, because they knocked protective stone loose and sped up erosion behind the retaining wall. The project is expected to clear more than $8 million in deferred maintenance, and it scored 100 out of 100 in the agency's national ranking.

The original plan wasn't phased. Gerry Mulligan, president of the Crystal River Area Council and a member of the Friends group, told the Citrus County Chronicle that early plans would have closed the site for about a year:

"They'll keep two thirds of the boardwalk open, rebuild one third, then move to the next, and then move to the next. So that the viewing areas will remain open."

Under that approach, the first third is being built now. The other two are scheduled for the warm seasons after the winter break. Neither the city nor the federal agency has said publicly which section is closed today. The city's boardwalk page only says parts of it are temporarily off-limits.

The second project belongs to the Friends of the Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge. It includes two elevated platforms looking over the springs, a raised walkway into the wetlands on the Southwest Florida Water Management District part of the property, a youth fishing dock on Lake Crystal built with the Education Foundation of Citrus County, and a manatee release chute. The release chute fixes a real problem. When rehabilitated manatees come back from places like SeaWorld, crews currently have to guide them into the spring by hand. The chute will let them slide in more gently.

Local money is paying for this one. The City of Crystal River put in $25,000, the Citrus County Tourist Development Council $80,000 and the Friends $50,000 from their own fundraising. Private donors are covering the rest. Mulligan was clear about the goal: "to build tourism outside of manatee season so there are other things to do and enjoy out there." None of the material we reviewed confirmed that any of these amenities has opened yet.

Taken together, the two projects split the year in half. Winter keeps the springs mostly as they are, so the manatees and the crowds that follow them aren't disturbed. Spring and summer get the construction and, eventually, the new things to do.

What Flips on November 14 and 15

Manatee season runs November 15 through March 31. The changes don't all happen on one day, and the first one comes the day before the season starts.

A few details don't fit in the table. The city's guidance says in-water access can close even before November 14 if Gulf water temperatures fall below 62.2°F, and you can never get into the water from the refuge's land side. All year, land visitors take the shuttle from the Three Sisters Springs Center, which runs 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The last tickets sell at 3:30 p.m., and the city's ticket page says prices can change. The Fish and Wildlife Service keeps the trails and boardwalk open 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. year-round, except on certain holidays, and Thanksgiving is one of them. If you're planning to take Thanksgiving guests to see the manatees, go the day before or the day after.

The higher winter price makes more sense with the construction schedule in mind. The $20 winter ticket gets you the most boardwalk you'll be able to walk until the remaining phases are done. The $12.50 summer ticket next year will come with sections closed again.

The Same Logic, Applied to Kings Bay

While the boardwalk is being rebuilt, the city is working on crowding out on the water. On September 28, staff presented Ordinance 26-O-11 to the Crystal River City Council. It would add a new section to the city code called "Waterway Rental Vessel Vendor Safety" and set up a local permitting and safety program for companies that rent out boats, kayaks and paddleboards. The draft minutes show discussion and a request to change some wording, but no vote. A public hearing is scheduled for October 12, 2026, at 5:30 p.m.

The proposal, as the Chronicle reported, includes:

• Permit, insurance, training, customer information and operating standards for rental companies and other businesses that operate on the water
• The business name and phone number on every commercial vessel inside city limits, in block letters at least 3 inches tall that can be read from 50 feet away
• A city-issued decal near the state registration on motorboats, and on the top surface of kayaks and paddleboards
• Updated business tax receipt rules, including fees and registration for businesses based outside Crystal River that operate in the city

According to the draft, the ordinance would take effect as soon as it's adopted, and businesses already operating would have 180 days to get permits and comply. If the council adopts it at the October hearing, that compliance window would run through manatee season and close sometime next spring. Rental fleets probably won't show the new markings right away. As of today, the ordinance is still a proposal.

The council packet also mentions other work that's still underway. That includes research on a mooring field, and Kings Bay Focus Group discussions about paying for a capacity study, a pilot program and customer pickup at Kings Bay Park. None of these has been adopted. The Chronicle described the city as dealing with "overcrowding and complaints" in a bay where rental companies, recreational boaters and manatee tourism all overlap. Being able to tell who is running a rental business on the water is the first step before any capacity rule can be enforced.

The Town Calendar Fills In Around the Springs

The weeks before and after the manatee season switch are also some of the busiest on the city's downtown calendar. Here's the sequence:

1. Mid-October. Stone crab harvest season. Last year FWC opened it on October 15 and ran it through May 1, so check FWC's current notice for this season's dates.
2. October 16. Art on the Avenue, 4 to 8 p.m. It returns on the third Friday of each month, November 20 and December 18.
3. October 31. Scarecrow Fest runs 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday Night in Town Square follows from 5 to 9 p.m. That series moved from Fridays to Saturdays on August 1.
4. November 7. Stone Crab Jam, noon to 10 p.m. It's an open street festival with six bands on three stages, put on by the Kings Bay Rotary Club, with proceeds going to local charities.
5. November 15. Manatee season begins, boardwalk work pauses, and the winter ticket price takes effect.
6. December 4. The Christmas Tree Lighting Festival in Town Square, 5 to 9 p.m.

The Citrus County Chamber's page for the Crystal River Christmas Parade gives two dates, December 5 in the heading and December 6 in the route details, so check the date closer to time.

Stone Crab Jam lands a week before the paddle season at Three Sisters ends. That makes early November a good stretch to get in one last paddle near the springs and spend an evening downtown in the same week, before winter visitors and the sanctuary boundaries take over the bay.

After March, the order reverses. The boardwalk work picks up again after April 1, 2027, paddle access to Three Sisters reopens the same day, and if the rental ordinance passes in October, its 180-day compliance window will be ending around then. No opening date has been published for the Friends' platforms, wetland walkway and Lake Crystal fishing dock. Their backers built them for the warm months, though, so the season they were designed for begins in April.

If you live near Kings Bay or the springs and wonder whether changes like the rental rules or the boardwalk rebuild affect what your home is worth, Palm & Pine Collective can walk you through it without any pressure. Ask for a free home valuation, and we'll talk it through with you.

This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.