Act Now to Protect Sea Turtle Hatchings on Navarre Beach and along the Florida Panhandle!

*Sea turtle protection is a major conservation concern for those who live near or visit the Florida Panhandle, Especially Navarre Beach.

*For over 30 years, volunteers and biologists have monitored nesting and hatching activity on Navarre Beach, along with other Florida Panhandle beaches.

*Despite these efforts, thousands of hatchlings die each season due to:
     o Vulnerable nest locations
     o Disorientation caused by artificial lighting

*The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) has inconsistent regulations on nighttime monitoring, which is critical to guiding hatchlings safely to the Gulf.

*Current Navarre Beach and Florida Panhandle regulations prohibit relocating nests to safer ground—even when nests are clearly at risk—relocation is allowed in other parts of Florida.

*This is especially problematic when our beaches are renourished, where escarpments and swales increase nest loss due to flooding and erosion.

*A relocation policy could greatly improve hatchling survival rates for these federally protected species.

*Protections for sea turtles are inconsistent within a 50-mile stretch of the Florida Panhandle.

*We call on Florida legislators and the FWC Commissioners to:
     o Establish clear, consistent, regulations tailored to each beach’s
        conditions.
     o Empower local governments to enforce protections.
     o Permit nighttime monitoring where disorientation risks are highest.

*Florida’s sea turtles and the coastal ecosystems they support deserve uniform safeguards backed by decades of research and experience.

Please sign this petition to support stronger and more consistent policies for sea turtle protection in the Florida Panhandle!