“Sea Turtle Nesting Season”
Sea Turtle Nesting Season starts May 1st and continues through October 31st. The following information is being disseminated in advance of the upcoming season in an effort to proactively provide valuable information to the public in regard to City Ordinances and State Laws designed to protect our Sea Turtle population.
Flagler Beach City Ordinance 9-20 governs “Open Burning” in our City and subsection (b) (4) specifically addresses fires on the beach during turtle nesting season. The City Ordinance states that “during the period between May 1 and October 31, due to sea turtle nesting season, campfires and bonfires are prohibited from dusk until dawn”.
Sea Turtles are a protected species and Florida State Statute 379.2431 states that “Any person, firm, or corporation that illegally takes, disturbs, mutilates, destroys, causes to be destroyed, transfers, sells, offers to sell, molests, or harasses any marine turtle species, or the eggs or nest of any marine turtle species as described in this subsection, commits a third degree felony”.
Along the coastlines of Florida, Sea Turtles annually make between 40,000 and 84,000 nests. Sea Turtle eggs have an incubation period of about two (2) months. Sea Turtles have existed for over one hundred million years and scientists estimate that only 1 in 1000 to 10,000 babies will survive to adulthood.
Your assistance in helping protect our Sea Turtles is greatly appreciated! If you have any questions about the information listed above, please feel free to contact Chief Doughney. For additional information regarding Sea Turtles, please visit the following websites;
http://myfwc.com/wildlifehabitats/managed/sea-turtles/
