ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. – Sea turtle nesting season begins in one week, and St. Johns county officials are asking residents, visitors and businesses to protect the turtles’ natural habitat.
From May 1 until October 31, county staff will close vehicular beach access gates at 7:30 p.m. and reopen them at 8:00 a.m. This will allow nesting sea turtles to have a safe beach at night.
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Beach visitors need to take the following precautions:
- Do not use fireworks and open fires; they are illegal.
- Remove ruts and sand castles at the end of your beach day.
- Do not leave beach chairs or canopies on the beach overnight.
- Flashlights are strongly discouraged as they can harm sea turtles.
- Avoid entering dunes and conservation zones (15 feet seaward of the dune line).
- Do not release balloons, which can fall into the ocean and harm marine life; their release is also illegal.
- Never approach sea turtles emerging from or returning to the sea. Nesting sea turtles are vulnerable, timid, and can be easily frightened away.
The continued participation of residents and volunteers protecting the turtles’ nesting habitat has borne fruit -- 2023 saw triple-digit green sea turtle nests along St. Johns County beaches for the first time since the county began collecting data.
Together, we can help all of our nesting turtle species rebound even further.