Sea turtle nesting season, ordinance continue through Oct. 31

By Carter Weinhofer
| 3:00 p.m. September 12, 2023

Sea turtle nests are marked with bright yellow stakes connected with fluorescent tape. This is meant to protect them from beach rakers and everyday beachgoers.

Longboat Key
News

Turtle season isn’t over yet.

Longboat Key Turtle Watch Vice President Cyndi Seamon said the group is still doing spot checks on existing nests, and there are still some marked nests on the island. There may also be some unmarked nests.

Storm surge from Hurricane Idalia made an impact on Longboat Key beaches, but Seamon said turtle nests could still be hatching throughout the remainder of the season. She said the group hopes to have some hatchlings emerging soon.

The town’s turtle protection ordinance is in effect until Oct. 31. Keeping the beaches clean, refraining from digging holes and keeping the beaches dark during the night is still important this late in the season, Seamon said.

Longboat Key Turtle Watch also has T-shirts available at UPS and Design 2000 for fundraising.

author

Carter Weinhofer

Carter Weinhofer is the Longboat Key news reporter for the Observer. Originally from a small town in Pennsylvania, he moved to St. Petersburg to attend Eckerd College until graduating in 2023. During his entire undergraduate career, he worked at the student newspaper, The Current, holding positions from science reporter to editor-in-chief.