Florida Woman Filmed Riding Manatee In Siesta Key (VIDEO)

WFLA-TV Newschannel 8

A news helicopter captured yet more manatee harassment in Florida, this time in Sarasota.

Video shows a herd of manatees attracting nearby beachgoers at Siesta Key. A man and woman touch the sea cows from a sand bar before the woman attempts to mount and ride one, according to WFLA.

Watch the video above.

Touching a manatee is a violation of Florida's Manatee Sanctuary Act, a second-degree misdemeanor with a $500 fine or 60 days in jail.

But perhaps the penalties need to be steeper because such consequences certainly aren't dissuading manatee harassment across the state.

Earlier this week, two men are in trouble for brutally doing cannonballs on top of manatees from a dock.

In February, a father shared photos of his children riding a manatee on Facebook.

And then there was the image of original manatee rider, Ana Gloria Garcia Gutierrez, bare-backing on a manatee in Tampa, that went viral.

The state's recent crackdown on manatee riding prompted one Florida Tea Partier to lament what it means in regards to loss of personal freedom in America.

"Today we can't ride a manatee, tomorrow we won't be able to open a business," he told The Daily Show.

In addition to manhandling by humans, manatees, an endangered species, are also under duress from this year's toxic Red Tide bloom.

Click below for a few Florida manatees available for adoption through Save the Manatee Club, which works to protect and rehabilitate the beloved animals: