Anyone with a camera on Gulf Drive in Bradenton Beach or Holmes Beach is asked to check images from June 27 between 10 p.m. and midnight.
If there’s even a glimpse of an all-terrain vehicle caught on video or a still shot, call or text the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission hotline at 888-404-3922 or email tip@fwc.com.
FWC is the lead agency investigating the attack on three shorebirds and five sea turtle nests near the 2700 block of Gulf Drive at the borders of the two Anna Maria Island cities.
The black skimmer chicks were killed and the turtle nests damaged — with yet-to-be accounted for loggerhead turtle eggs — by a couple on an ATV who ran roughshod over the wildlife two weeks ago, according to police.
“We’re asking that business owners on Gulf Drive, between Cortez Bridge and Route 64, check their tapes,” said FWC regional public information director Gary Morse.
The investigation continues and is expanding northward in Holmes Beach, he added.
Morse confirmed his investigator is looking for a couple who drove an ATV north onto the Gulf beaches between the 900 block in Bradenton Beach to about the 3400 block in Holmes Beach and exited on Gulf Drive.
Between the 2600 and 2900 block, a witness told police he heard them laughing and the turtle nest markers snapping.
“Residents are understandably upset. It is our duty and goal to bring those responsible to justice,” Morse said.
Holmes Beach Police Chief Bill Tokajer said he’s asked local businesses for video from the night of June 27.
He’s also reached out to the Florida Department of Transportation to determine if images can be retrieved from cameras at the Cortez Road and Manatee Avenue traffic lights.
“We have leads and people of interest. We continue to get tips on the tip line. We’re still investigating for enough evidence to make a good case,” Tokajer said.
HBPD, the FWC and BBPD are working as a team and it is yet to be determined which agency will make the arrests, he added.
Bradenton Beach Police Department Detective Sgt. Lenard Diaz said the Cortez Bridge tender on duty that night was consulted, but the inquiry did not provide any further leads.
BBPD Officer Eric Hill reported June 28 that evidence pointed to an ATV traveling south on Gulf Drive. He obtained one video from Wicked Taco, 101 Seventh St. N., Bradenton Beach, which showed an ATV riding on the sidewalk.
State and federal law protect the turtles, nests and eggs and the black skimmers.
The bird killing and nesting destruction are third-degree felonies under state laws — punishable by up to five years in prison and $5,000 in fines.
Under federal law, fines up to $100,000 and prison terms of up to one year may be imposed for each turtle or egg vandalized.
Civil penalties up to $25,000 also may be levied, according to U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service public information officer Chuck Underwood.
Killing the migratory skimmers can be charged as a misdemeanor — punishable by up to six months in prison and a $15,000 fine “for each critter” — or as a felony with a maximum two-year imprisonment, he added.
Check online at www.islander.org for information about AMI and Longboat Key turtle talks, turtle beach walks and tips for beachgoers on how to help nesting birds and marine turtles.