Rising cases of the novel coronavirus have forced the Citrus County Chamber of Commerce to pump the brakes on the 2021 Florida Manatee Festival, which was tentatively scheduled for Jan. 16 and 17, and reschedule the annual event for March 27 and 28, the last weekend of manatee season, according to Josh Wooten, the executive director for the Chamber. âThe COVID benchmarks that we had offered to city council upon approval of our festival permit earlier this month as our âmake or breakâ point are unlikely to be met,â Wooten wrote to Chamber board members Tuesday, Dec. 29, announcing the decision to postpone the event. âTherefore, in the abundance of caution, we are proceeding to the new date. We anticipate being able to create a larger and greater experience for our community at that time.