Sea Turtles Dig the Dark!

Lights Out on the Beach During Sea Turtle Nesting Season

Brevard County’s 72-mile-long coastline is one of most important nesting grounds for loggerhead and green sea turtles in the U.S. Artificial lights on the beach can disrupt the nesting behavior of female sea turtles. It can stress or disorient them, discouraging them from nesting or interrupt the nesting process and cause them to return to the ocean. Additionally, hatchlings can become disoriented by artificial light when they emerge from their nests. If they crawl away from the ocean, they can quickly become exhausted or fall prey to predators.

To protect both nesting females and emerging hatchlings, Brevard has a lighting ordinance during the peak of nesting season from May 1^st to October 31^st. It requires that all artificial lights visible from the beach be turned off, shielded, or covered between 9 PM and 5 AM. Please note, the City of Satellite Beach’s lighting restrictions are from March 1^st through the end of October from 9 p.m. to 7 a.m. Be sure to follow your local lights-out ordinances to avoid any penalties and fines.

Please Follow These Guidelines:

• If you live on the beach, please turn off beach-facing lights, use drapes and blinds to keep indoor lights from shining outside, and use turtle-friendly outdoor lights which follow Florida’s Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) Sea Turtle Lighting Guidelines.
• Avoid the beach at night. If you must be on the beach at night, don’t use flashlights or phones to see. It’s best to avoid using any lights, including “turtle-safe” flashlights. You should never use a phone or camera flash to take pictures.
• Let others know about lights out on the beach during sea turtle nesting season. Share this information with your family, friends, and visitors to our area.

What To Do If You Find a Distressed, Sick, or Injured Sea Turtle:

• If you are in Brevard County and see a sea turtle that is trapped, struggling, sick, or injured, or a hatchling crawling in the wrong direction, please call the STPS Emergency Hotline 321-206-0646. Be sure to provide the location (street address if possible), condition of the turtle, and your name. We will call you back on the phone number that you placed the call from. For more information, see the STPS Emergency Information webpage.
• Everywhere else in Florida, please call the Florida FWC at 1-888-404-3922.

Other Ways You Can Help Sea Turtles During Nesting Season:

• Give Nesting Sea Turtles Space: If you see a nesting female, please stay at least 50 feet away to prevent disturbing her. Remain quiet and avoid all lights, including flashlights and phone screens. Please remember, it is illegal to harm or disturb nesting sea turtles, their nests and eggs, or to pick up hatchlings.
• Watch for Sea Turtles While Boating: During nesting season, thousands of sea turtles gather offshore to mate. When you’re boating, please slow down and keep a lookout for marine animals (e.g., sea turtles, dolphins, etc.) See NOAA’s “Safe Boating Around Sea Turtles.”
• Keep Our Beaches Clean, Flat and Dark: After a day at the beach, be sure to remove all clothes, sandals, sunglasses, towels, toys, and beach furniture. Also, please pick up all your trash and fill in holes. Obstacles on the beach can entrap female sea turtles and prevent them from nesting. Trash, holes in the sand, and other obstructions can prevent sea turtle hatchlings from reaching the water after they emerge from their nest. Also, fishing line can be deadly to sea turtles, birds and other wildlife, so be sure to dispose of it properly or recycle it.
• Respect Marked Sea Turtle Nests: Please do not touch or stand near a marked nest. Also, please keep pets away from them.
• Report Sea Turtles Nesting in the Daytime: Kemp’s ridley sea turtles are the most endangered turtle in the world and routinely nest during the daytime. If you see a daytime nesting sea turtle in Brevard County, please call the STPS Emergency Hotline at 321-206-0646. It’s okay to take photos (without flash), but please remain quiet and give the sea turtle plenty of space to avoid disturbing her nesting.

For more information, please see Florida FWC’s “Be a Beach Hero” brochure.

Thank You for Helping Protect Our Sea Turtles!