They were determined to do it right.
The Anna Maria Beach Resort, fronting on the Gulf of Mexico at 6306 Gulf Drive, Holmes Beach, recently retrofitted its exterior lighting to include sea turtle-friendly bulbs and fixtures, with help from the Sea Turtle Conservancy of Gainesville and about $30,000 from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.
In July 2019, shortly after the property formerly operated as the Blue Water Beach Club changed hands and underwent extensive renovations, sea turtle hatchlings on the beach were disoriented from their natural path to the water, likely caused by noncompliant resort lighting, according to Suzi Fox, Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch and Shorebird Monitoring executive director.
Fox spoke with Allen Pullam, resort project manager, about working with the conservancy for a grant to install turtle-friendly lighting.
Pullam presented the information to property owners Kelley and Joe Varner, who agreed to the improvements.
The NFWF grant covered 100% of the lighting, with the property owners responsible for installation costs.
Stacey Gallagher, development coordinator and lighting specialist for the STC, said Oct. 29 that the organization has been helping people get grants since 2010 to help nesting habitats for sea turtles harmed by the BP Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
She said the grants originally went to properties in the Panhandle but the focus has shifted to southwest Florida, southward from Pinellas to Collier.
There are several methods by which the STC identifies problem properties, including working with local permit holders, such as AMITW and city code enforcement officers, as well as conducting its own lighting surveys, Gallagher said.
“One of the most important things is willingness,” she said.
If the property owner agrees to the retrofit, STC representatives conduct lighting inspections and provide owners with a plan for recommended bulbs and fixtures.
The STC works with the owner to ensure the aesthetic meets requirements and lighting is safe for people and wildlife.
Once a contract is executed, the STC provides 70% of the cost up front and the remaining 30% upon completion of the installation and certification by the STC.
Hatchlings and nesting female sea turtles follow their instincts toward the reflection of the moon and stars on the Gulf of Mexico. Unshielded, short wavelength light, visible to wildlife from the shoreline, can disorient nesting turtles and hatchlings, leading to predation, dehydration, exhaustion and death.
Beachfront properties are required to have long wavelength, shielded exterior lighting with Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission-compliant bulbs and indoor lights must be either turned off or concealed by curtains or blinds May-October.
However, according to Pullam, the Anna Maria Beach Resort will operate year-round with the turtle-friendly bulbs.
“The owners are very happy with the way it looks and we wanted to make sure we don’t run into future problems,” he said.
In the meantime, Gallagher said the STC is interested in providing more grants to retrofit properties in Manatee County.
“The sea turtle disorientation rate in Manatee County was the second-highest within our target area in 2019,” Gallagher said, adding they want to reduce the numbers.
For more information about the Sea Turtle Conservancy lighting program and grants, people can call 352-373-6441 or visit the website at conserveturtles.com.