At various times of the year, sea turtles can be found nesting and foraging for food along Florida's shorelines and estuaries.

DO's and DONT'S to Help Protect and Preserve Turtles:

• Do not observe sea turtles nesting at night without a permitted guide.
• Do not disturb or handle any sea turtles, their eggs, or their nests.
• Report injured, stranded or dead turtles to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission at 1-800-404-3922.
• Report lighting visible from the beach during the nesting season (March – October) call 561-233-2400.
• Properly dispose of litter – especially plastic bags and fishing line.

Sea Turtles and Artificial Lighting Conditions:

• Prevent light from being seen from the beach by shielding and lowering lighting.
• Change round globe lights to short lights that only shine down or change the globe light to a shielded light that only shines light downward.
• Close curtains and move lamps away from windows so that the inside lights cannot be seen from the beach.
• Turn spotlights off.
• Allow vegetation to grow so that it blocks some of the light room reaching the beach.

Any measures taken to keep artificial light from shining onto the beach will assist the hatchlings in going the correct way to the ocean instead of toward the lights.

MORE INFORMATION:

Visit the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's (FWC) Marine Turtle Program web site at:   www.myfwc.com/seaturtle/