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

The Florida Gopher Tortoise

Gopher tortoises are so named because of their ability to dig large, deep burrows. These burrows are widely used by other species throughout the ecosystem, making gopher tortoises a keystone species with a pivotal role to play in their native community.

Whether you live in the Daytona Beach area or are just visiting, it is good to know a bit about this keystone reptile that is severely endangered. 

Gopher tortoises are herbivores.  They eat grasses, the flowers, fruits and leaves of herbaceous plants and shrubs. Because they get water from plants and dew, tortoises rarely drink water.

Gopher tortoises grow to be up to 15 inches long and weigh from eight to 15 pounds.They can live up to 80 years in the wild. They are slow to reach sexual maturity — at 10 to 20 years old — and have a low reproductive rate. In the spring, gopher tortoises’ mating season. Only about three to five percent of the young tortoises typically survive.

The Threatened Tortoise

Gopher tortoises are a threatened wildlife species and are protected by state law. They must be relocated before any land clearing or development takes place, and property owners must obtain permits from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission before they can move them. It is against the law to kill, harass or destroy gopher tortoises, their eggs or burrows.

The majority of the remaining gopher tortoises are in the state of Florida where the population was estimated in 2003 to be under 800,000, but in steep decline.

 What to know about gopher tortoises when you live near their habitats.

Gopher tortoises are commonly seen in suburban areas around Florida. If a gopher tortoise is living in your yard, take the opportunity to learn about this threatened species and how to conserve it. Here are a few tips:

They generally feed within 160 feet of their burrows.

Grow plants native to Florida in your yard, since nonnative plants can be harmful to Florida’s biodiversity. A Florida Guide to Gopher Tortoise Friendly Plants provides a list of tortoise-friendly plants, many which can be found at your local native nursery.

Leave the tortoise alone and keep dogs and children away from the tortoise and its burrow.

If possible, avoid mowing, digging, driving over or otherwise disturbing the area right around the burrow. Trimming of grass or weeds right around the burrow can be done using a weed trimmer.

Never block the burrow opening which could prevent its exit or entrance.

If you find a sick or injured gopher tortoise, you can call the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's toll-free Wildlife Alert hotline at (888)404-3922.

Conserving the gopher tortoise is important for all of Florida’s fauna and flora. 

Referrals are how we build our business, and it is an honor to help your friends and family with their real estate needs.

Creative Florida Living  * Janet Sells

Turtle Season

Whether you live in the greater Daytona Beach Area year round, you are seasonal visitor, or you are relocating, you can enjoy the proximity to nature, wildlife, and water! One element of our beautiful wildlife is the majestic sea turtle. 

From May 15 through October 31, our area beaches host this unusual marine visitor. These magnificent turtles emerge from the surf at night to lay their eggs in nests dug into the dry sand, then return to the sea. Two months later, about a hundred baby turtles (hatchlings) emerge from each of these nests and crawl to the ocean. This amazing cycle of Mother Nature is endangered and has to be protected. 

Our government has taken several steps to preserve these gentle creatures and the fragile dune area. Beach driving and parking is prohibited west of an established dune conservation zone and beachfront lighting at night is limited. The tiny hatchlings can be confused by bright lights and stray west onto busy Highway A1A. So if your house or condo faces the beach, you must have blackout drapes drawn at night during turtle season.

Be kind and don't disturb a turtle that is crawling to or from the ocean or laying eggs. 

Watch from a distance of at least 30 feet.

• Avoid shining lights on the beach at night as this may frighten away nesting females and, interfere with the hatchlings ability to find the sea.

• Avoid walking or cycling in nesting areas

• Report any injured or dead sea turtles to any Volusia County Beach Services employee.

           

• Do not disturb markers or protective screening over turtle nests. These nests are being studied and protected.

• Avoid walking on the beach dunes.

• Don't disturb nesting sea birds.

• Don't litter. Cigarette butts, fishing line and other trash can harm the animals and birds along the beach.

To find out more, read about the Marine Science Center here and visit their website here!

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