A loggerhead sea turtle disoriented early June 19, crawling onto Gulf Drive South in Bradenton Beach, where it was struck and killed by a vehicle.
The incident occurred in the 1600 block of the state road near Coquina Beach, according to a Bradenton Beach Police report.
BBPD and other first responders arrived at the location about 6 a.m.
Representatives from Mote Marine Laboratory and Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch and Shorebird Monitoring were first to respond.
The sea turtle had nested in the dunes and then disoriented toward streetlights illuminating a crosswalk, according to a June 19 news release from AMITW.
Female sea turtles come ashore May-October to nest. Nesting turtles can be disoriented by obstacles on the beach and by artificial lighting.
Sea turtles, which are federally protected, use light to find their way back to the water after nesting, crawling toward the brightest horizon, which in nesting habitat should be the light of the night sky on the water. Disorientations, according to AMITW, can occur when sea turtles orient toward artificial light and away from water.
AMITW has recorded 19 disorientations by nesting turtles so far this year.
The Florida Department of Transportation installed the crosswalk streetlights that caused the June 19 disorientation during the winter and illuminated them in May, AMITW executive director Kristen Mazzarella told The Islander.
Mazzarella said she previously had contacted the DOT about problems with the crosswalk lighting, adding that the stretch where lights need to be replaced runs from Longboat Key through Bradenton Beach, possibly into Holmes Beach.
The day after the turtle’s death, DOT dispatched a crew to Anna Maria Island to turn off all the crosswalk lights but two.
On June 21, the DOT issued a news release stating that all overhead lighting would be turned off and lighting shields were being procured.
“Conversations are continuing and FDOT and its partners are determined to do whatever is possible to protect nesting loggerheads and their hatchlings,” the release stated.
“Hopefully this will prevent any future incidents and keep the turtles safe in these areas,” Mazzarella said.
Mazzarella said she first heard about the fatal disorientation from a Manatee County worker and then from a former colleague at Mote who was heading to work and drove past the crash.
The sea turtle was taken to Mote and then picked up by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission so a necropsy could be performed.
“The good news is that she laid eggs before heading towards the road, so her legacy will continue,” said Mazzarella, who in the release had expressed concern that hatchlings from the nest also could disorientate if the lighting issues were not addressed.
In 2023, 105 of 404 nests disoriented on Anna Maria Island, according to AMITW.
People who see a sea turtle in distress on Anna Maria Island can call AMITW at 941-301-8434 or FWC’s Wildlife Alert Hotline at 888-404-3922.
AMITW director’s report
The week ending June 23, AMITW saw “a high number of turtle nests,” according to a June 21 report from executive director Kristen Mazzarella.
“We believe we are nearing the peak of season,” she added.
Rain, surf and high tides in June washed over about 40 nests and three nests were washed out.
AMITW also is monitoring a least tern colony in Bradenton Beach, where, as of June 21, there were five chicks and the colony had grown to 45 birds.