LTC 020-2024 2024 Sea Turtle Nesting Season in Miami BeachMIAMI BEACH
OFFICE OF THE CITY MANAGER
NO. LTC # 020-2024 LETTER TO COMMISSION
TO:
FROM:
DATE:
Honorable Mayor Steven Meiner and Members of the City Commission
Alina Hudak, City Manag�
January 19, 2024
SUBJECT: 2024 Sea Turtle Nesting Season in Miami Beach
The City of Miami Beach is dedicated to the conservation and preservation of its natural
resources, including the protection of sea turtles that nest annually on our beaches. City
Ordinance No. 2006-3525 restricts artificial lighting during nesting season between April 1
and October 31 (Ord. No. 2006-3525). Each year, the City refines its procedures to prepare
for the upcoming nesting season and I am pleased to share an update.
Education and Events
The Environment and Sustainability Department was awarded
a competitive grant by the Sea Turtle Conservancy in the
amount of $13,550 to launch a campaign for the 2024 sea
turtle nesting season. The Department is working closely with
the Office of Marketing and Communications to launch the
"Flip the Switch" campaign to increase awareness and
compliance of turtle-friendly lighting. The objective is to reduce
the damaging impacts of artificial light on sea turtles by
implementing low, long, and shielded lighting practices. On
beaches where artificial lighting is visible, females may be
Fl.'aPTHE. SWITCHs• MIAMI BEACH I
APRIL I -OCTOBER 31
deterred from nesting and the hatch lings' important journey to the sea can be disrupted.
This poses a serious threat to sea turtle hatchlings as they can become disoriented, causing
them to crawl away from the ocean and toward the artificial light.
Digital messaging will be disseminated via all social media channels and will include digital
ads, paid social ads, and a public service announcement (PSA). Printed advertisements will
include bus shelters, physical flyers, stickers, magnets, and a featured article in the Spring
edition of the Miami Beach Magazine. Furthermore, the campaign will engage the
community and target population through regular newsletters during the nesting season,
emphasizing the critical importance of protecting sea turtles.
To learn more about sea turtle nesting season here on Miami Beach and how community
members can help, the City is pleased to announce the following events for the community
this season:
Miami-Dade County will be hosting a Sea Turtle Awareness Public Workshop on
Saturday, January 20 at the North Shore Park Youth Center (501 72nd Street) at
12:30 pm and on Saturday, February 10 at the Miami Beach Regional Library
(227 22nd Street) at 12:30 pm.
-The Environment and Sustainability Department will be hosting Turtle Fest on April
20 at Altos del Mar Park {76 th Street & Collins Avenue). This family fun event was
first held in 2023 and celebrates the start of sea turtle nesting season to raise
aw areness about sea turtle conserv ation.
B a c k g ro u n d
Pe
4i} D O NO T H AN DLE
OR DISTURB
Sea Turtles are protected by the US
Endangered Species Act of 1973 and Florida
Statute Chapter 370. It is illegal to harm or
harass sea turtles, their nests, or hatchlings.
The City of M iami Beach is a nesting habitat
fo r three species of pro tected sea turtles:
Loggerhead, G reen, and Leatherback sea
turtles. Handling of turtles and nests is
regulated by the state agency, the Florida
Fish & W ildlife Conservation Com m ission
(FW C).
Sea turtle nesting season in the State of
Florida occurs betw een May 1 and O ctober
31; how ever, sea turtle nesting begins on
Spot a lost baby turtle? DON'TTOUCH REPORTTHEM
·sr «or ·vovf s v ii 6 'v April 1°in Miam i Beach to account for th e
earlier Leatherback nesting season. Locally,
the Miam i-Dade County Sea Turtle
Conserv ation P ro gram (M D CSTC P) is responsible fo r spearheading sea turtle conservation
effort s. FW C issued a perm it to the C ounty that allow s County staff to handle sea turtle
nests and hatchlings, and conduct daily inspections on our beaches.
Th e Flo rid a Fiuh an d W ild life Co n serv ation Co m m issi o n at 1.888 .404 .39 2 2
M iami -D a d e Co u n ty er 786 .7 19.6 836 or 30 5.3 10 .30 46
Miami Beach Polio Department at 305.673.7900
Count y staff began sea turtl e nesting surv eys on March 1°for th e 2023 turtl e season . Th e
surv eys begin at sunrise every m orn ing during sea turtle nesting season which include
dedicated County staff identifying, marking off, and where applicable, relocating nests. They
also inventory hatched nests and docum ent hatchling disorientations. No beach activities
(beach maintenance operations, sand sifting, litter collection, concessionaire operations,
special events, etc.) can begin befo re the daily surv ey is com pleted and County staff gives
the authorization to begin activities on the beach. This prevents the loss of sea turtle tracks
used to identify nests, as well as potential collisions w ith nesting sea turtles or new ly laid
nests. A ll nests identified by C ounty staff during the surv ey are marked and surro unded by
caution tape the sam e morn ing they are discovered, signaling the public to maintain a safe
buff er of at least 10 feet. Furtherm ore, the City w ill continue to work closely with the County
to help address any lighting or conserv ation concern s along our beaches as the season
continues.
C ity Eff o rt s
A successful sea turtle season relies on the entire com m unity to help prepare our beaches
fo r sea turtle nesting season. For this reason, the City im plem ents strategies and conducts
extensive education and outreach to the com m unity to increase sea turtle aw areness.
The Enviro nm ent and Sustainability Departm ent has been working with various extern al
stakeholders and City departm ents on short- and long-term strategies to enhance the
pro tection of our native sea turtle population. Efforts include coordination w ith FW C and the
County, intern al training fo r C ode C om pliance O fficers, installation of lighting retro fits to
include am ber lights or shading fo r City beachfront pro perties-including parks, parking lots,
and com m unity w orkshops.
The C ode Com pliance Departm ent enfo rces the City's Turtle Nesting Pro tection O rdinance
thro ugh pro active inspections and com plaints. Code Com pliance distributes info rm ation
annually to beachfront pro perties to rem ind them to reduce unnecessary artificial light
sources, keep blinds closed at night, and not harass nesting sea turtles.
If you have any questions, please contact A m y Know les, Chief Resilience O fficer, at
Am yK now les@ m iam ibeachfl.gov or Li ndsey Precht, Assistant Director of the Enviro nm ent &
Sustainability Departm ent, at Li ndseyPrecht@ m iam ibeachfl.gov.
A TH/~A K