The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission in January released the final totals statewide for sea turtle nesting from 225 monitored beaches covering 822 miles of coastline.
Loggerheads remained the dominant nester with 100,951 nests, a bit below recent years.
Green turtles had a standout year with 66,476 nests, making 2025 the second-highest season on record. The record was 77,042 in 2023.
Leatherbacks set a statewide record with 2,012 nests, breaking the previous high of 1,848 in 2022.
Kemp’s ridleys remain rare. There were 12 confirmed nests, plus another 21 pending genetic confirmation.
There were no recorded hawksbill nests.
The 2026 nesting season officially begins on Anna Maria Island on May 1. However, the area has recorded nests earlier and elsewhere in the state sea turtle nests have been recorded in early March.
The earliest documented sea turtle nest in the state was a leatherback nest found Feb. 6, 2020, on Hutchinson Island.