In a culture filled with the glow of artificial light, it’s hard to believe a light bulb could lead to harm.
However, Anna Maria Island beaches are a nesting habitat for protected sea turtles, which spend most of their lives in the water and are sensitive to light sources that don’t appear especially bright to the human eye.
Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch and Shorebird Monitoring executive director Suzi Fox is concerned that Holmes Beach — home to 238 of the 459 nests so far this record-breaking season — is lagging behind the other island municipalities when it comes to sea turtle safeguards.
As of July 30, AMITW reported 13 nests contained hatchlings that disoriented on their journey to the water and 10 of these disorientations occurred in Holmes Beach.
Starting in May, AMITW works with code enforcement in Anna Maria, Bradenton Beach and Holmes Beach to ensure the nesting beaches are ready for female turtles to lay their nests.
Nesting season preparation includes making sure exterior lights visible from the shoreline are low and shielded and fixtures contain Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission-approved bulbs. Interior lights visible from the shoreline should be turned off or blocked by blinds or curtains after dark.
After nesting or hatching, adult and hatchling sea turtles are drawn by their instincts to the Gulf of Mexico by the reflection of light on the water’s surface. Disorientations can occur when lights visible from the shoreline attract turtles away from the water, making them vulnerable to predators, exhaustion or dehydration.
Fox is concerned that while nesting numbers are at an all-time high, so are disorientations, and she claims this is due to lighting issues in Holmes Beach that should have been corrected in May.
“Now that we have the most nests ever recorded on the island, we need disorientation numbers to stabilize, but they are going up,” Fox said July 26. “That’s where code comes in.”
Fox says she submitted a “hot-10 list” to Holmes Beach code enforcement of problem locations that were observed by turtle watch volunteers, locations that possibly violate ordinances governing sea turtle safety regulations.
According to Fox, these locations were “brushed aside” by code enforcement until July 25, when she conducted a nighttime lighting inspection with HB code officer JT Thomas.
During the lighting inspection, Thomas and Fox determined which of the identified locations need new bulbs or fixtures, and Thomas said he would verbally notice the owners and managers about the changes needed before proceeding with a notice of violation.
“We are here to promote an atmosphere of voluntary compliance,” Thomas said July 25. He said some of AMITW’s complaints could be based on lights accidentally left on by vacationers unaware of sea turtle regulations.
Fox said the responsibility is with the owners, not the renters. She said she was disappointed the owners weren’t asked to change the bulbs before season began, preventing the problem of lights being accidentally left on. She cited the city ordinance that states owners of properties in violation are to be given a written notice and reasonable time to fix the problem.
“The problem is fixable,” Fox said. “If the bulbs and fixtures are turtle-friendly, it doesn’t matter if it is left on.”
Thomas said he is in the process of conducting short-term rental inspections and will notify owners during inspection of changes needed to ensure turtle-safe lighting.
“When people arrive on the island for a week in paradise, they are in vacation-mode. They don’t read information left in their units,” Fox said July 26. “It is up to the owners to obtain the proper fixtures for their property before guests arrive.”
To report a disoriented hatchling, or a sick, injured or dead sea turtle, contact Fox at suzilfox@gmail.com or 941-778-5638.
