Sea turtle nesting season in Pinellas County runs May 1 through October 31. During those months, artificial light visible from the Gulf beaches can disorient nesting females and send hatchlings inland instead of to the water, so beachfront lighting is regulated.
Who regulates. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) sets statewide wildlife lighting guidance and enforces protections for sea turtles, which are protected under state and federal law. On the ground, the binding rules for most Gulf-front property are city ordinances: according to Pinellas County, twelve of the thirteen barrier island municipalities have enacted lighting ordinances. Coastal construction permits (CCCL) also carry lighting conditions. If you own or manage beachfront property, check your specific city's code for dates, shielding requirements, and enforcement details.
The three rules of turtle-friendly lighting. FWC's guidance boils down to: keep it LOW (mount fixtures low and use the lowest wattage/lumens needed), keep it LONG (long-wavelength light of 560 nanometers or more, amber, orange, or red), and keep it SHIELDED (fully downward-directed fixtures where the bulb is not visible from the beach). FWC also recommends tinting beach-facing windows to 45% or lower inside-to-outside light transmittance and turning off unnecessary lights entirely until after October 31.
Practical steps for beachfront owners and rentals.
- Replace white floodlights with shielded amber LED fixtures certified for wildlife lighting.
- Close blinds and drapes after dark during season; interior light through glass counts.
- Do not use flashlights, phone lights, or flash photography on the beach at night; where lighting is needed, use amber or red.
- Remove furniture, toys, and fill in holes on the sand at night; they can trap hatchlings and nesting females.
Pinellas County has run a retrofit program helping convert beachfront lighting to turtle-friendly fixtures. If you find a disoriented, injured, or dead sea turtle, call FWC's Wildlife Alert line at 1-888-404-3922. For lighting-specific questions, FWC can be reached at [email protected].
Note for the Atlantic coast: FWC's statewide monitoring treats nesting season as starting March 1 there, but for Pinellas Gulf beaches the county uses May 1 through October 31.