Turtle Season in Florida - Lights Out!

Sea Turtle Season is upon us!! 

From May 1 through October 31. 

Nesting turtles in Florida consist of 4 species: Loggerheads, Green Sea Turtle, Leatherbacks, and Kemp’s Ridleys. These sea turtles are endangered and therefore protected along the Florida Atlantic coast.

Female sea turtles will emerge from the surf at night and crawl up onto sandy beaches towards the dunes to dig a deep hole in the dry sand to lay their eggs in May through October each year. 

The eggs are then covered with sand and the adult turtle returns to the sea. An average nest contains 100 eggs! One female will lay three to five nests each nesting season. About two months later, hatchlings (baby turtles), emerge from the nests and crawl to the ocean on their own.

Here is general information about turtles in Volusia County. 

Lights Out – Why?

Bright lights can disorient and confuse sea turtles on the beach. Females choose dark beaches lit only by the moonlight to lay their nests. As hatchlings emerge from their nests, they orient themselves toward the water using the dark silhouette of the natural sand dunes behind them and the openness of the lighter horizon over the water in front of them.

Therefore, you must keep the blinds closed at night and turn off the balcony lights – this goes for the east, north, and south sides of any buildings on the beach. Stiff fines of up to $5,000.00 per day can be issued for failure to comply.

"No Source of Light, nor reflection of light, shall illuminate the beach, and the source of light, nor the reflection of light shall be visible by a person who is in a standing position on the beach."

How to achieve this effectively can be found HERE. 

Protect the Turtles

Aside from shielding your lights, you can help protect the turtles in the following ways:

Do not disturb a female on land – she is only there to make a nest and lay eggs – do not hover around her.

Do not touch, pick up, or in any other way interfere with turtle hatchlings as they make their way to the ocean. They are extremely vulnerable.

Become a “washback watcher” and volunteer in various ways to protect sea turtles and their environment. Find your information here!

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Creative Florida Living 

Janet Sells