Sea Turtle Nesting Season begins today 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”.
How many eggs do sea turtles lay? The number of eggs in a nest, called a clutch, varies by species. In addition, sea turtles may lay more than one clutch during a nesting season. On average, sea turtles lay 110 eggs in a nest, and average between 2 to 8 nests a season. The smallest clutches are laid by Flatback turtles, approximately fifty (50) eggs per clutch. The largest clutches are laid by hawksbills, which may lay over two-hundred (200) eggs in a nest.
For additional information about sea turtles, please check; https://conserveturtles.org/information-sea-turtles.../