The South Florida museum welcomed it's newest manatee since the controversial death of Snooty earlier in 2017.

• New manatee recently named "Laguna"
• Manatee rescued off Florida's east coast on May 29
  
• Museum has changed staff, procedures since Snooty's death

"We did a swap -- we got Randall, a manatee who been with us for seven months, over to SeaWorld where he'll spend the night, he will be released into the St. Johns River tomorrow morning," said South Florida Museum Provost Jeff Rodgers. "We are very excited about that -- it's time for Randall to go home."

Rodgers then introduced us to "Laguna," who they got from SeaWorld and who was rescued May 29 from Mosquito Lagoon on Florida's east coast.

For 69 years, the museum was home to Snooty, the manatee who came to be a beloved mascot of the community. That is, until July 2017, when Snooty got stuck in a loose underwater panel and drowned the day after his 69th birthday.

With Snooty's passing so recent, some residents believe it's too soon to bring in another manatee.

"So soon -- it's like are you're not really mourning Snooty and giving him what he deserves for the life he lived here," said resident Amber Larowe. "I don’t know, I don’t really know how I feel about that."

A third party investigated the death and concluded in its report that Snooty’ s death was preventable.

Since Snooty's death, the museum says it has changed staff, created a new work order for maintenance, and instituted new dive check lists.

"We're always going to be sad about Snooty, but we are happy we are doing our part to rehabilitate manatees," said Rodgers.

All three manatees currently being rehabbed by the museum are expected to be released into the wild by February.