Leatherbacks Set New Nesting Record in Florida in 2025
2025 Sea Turtle Nesting Totals from Florida’s Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC)
2025 was a good year for sea turtle nesting in Florida. Leatherbacks set a new state record with over 2,000 nests. Green sea turtles had over 66,000 nests which is the second highest on record (greens had just over 77,000 in 2023). Listed below are the statewide total number of nests laid (i.e., when a turtle emerges from the ocean and lays eggs).
- Loggerheads = 100,951
- Green = 66,476
- Leatherbacks = 2,012
- Kemp’s ridleys = 12 confirmed, however, 21 more are pending genetic confirmation.
Source: Florida’s Fish and Wildlife Research Institute’s Facebook post: Florida Sea Turtle Nesting Season Final 2025 Totals.
See the nest totals for each county in Florida on the FWC website using this link:
The following is a comparison the total number of loggerhead, green, and leatherback nests laid in 2025 versus 2024.
| 2025 VERSUS 2024 STATEWIDE NESTING TOTALS | |||
| Loggerhead | Green | Leatherback | |
| 2025 STATE TOTALS | 100,951 | 66,476 | 2,012 |
| 2024 STATE TOTALS | 110,128 | 14,308 | 1,799 |
| DIFFERENCE FROM 2024 | -9,177 | +52,168 | +213 |
Here’s a comparison of nests laid in the last three years for Brevard County.
| 2023 – 2025 SEA TURTLE NESTING TOTALS – BREVARD | |||
| Year | Loggerhead | Green | Leatherback |
| 2025 | 22,716 | 30,431 | 129 |
| 2024 | 26,671 | 6,312 | 128 |
| 2023 | 33,435 | 37,927 | 88 |
Each year, FWC publishes Florida’s sea turtle nesting data which has been collected by Marine Turtle Permit (MTP) holders from over 200 beaches across the state. Florida nest survey teams (like STPS) follow FWC’s Statewide Nesting Beach Survey (SNBS) program and submit their nest counts to FWC. For more information on sea turtle nesting in Florida, please visit FWC’s Sea Turtle Nesting website.
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