UPDATE: Two news stories have come out shedding light on what really happened.  Take a look! Coastal Star Article ​WPTV News Story

Gumbo Limbo Nature Center in the seaside community of Boca Raton has been saving sea turtles since 1984 but the city suddenly and without notice shuttered this beloved and critically important rehabilitation hospital, leaving its future in the hands of an unstable and poorly rated nonprofit, the Gumbo Limbo Coastal Stewards (GLCS).  As Florida’s sea turtle stranding events are increasing annually and peak nesting season approaches, there will be no trained medical and support staff on site to attend to sick and injured sea turtles. Our sea turtles need our help.   What led to this crisis was chronic mismanagement and a failure of the organization’s leaders to center its sea turtle care mission:

• Management at Gumbo Limbo Coastal Stewards, the non profit that funds the sea turtle hospital operations, fostered a culture of toxicity and unprofessionalism with 17 staff members/volunteers parting ways with the organization in the past year. These dedicated individuals were passionate about sea turtle care but could no longer support an organization that had failed its mission. 
• On February 13, 2023, Dr. Maria Chadam, the organization’s chief veterinarian, resigned. One month later, two remaining hospital staff were forced out, including a key individual who held the sea turtle rehabilitation hospital’s permit with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC).  
• On March 13th, FWC ordered the transfer of current patients and resident turtles to other facilities where they could continue to receive vital care. Upon this, Gumbo Limbo Coastal Stewards claimed the transfer had been planned due to renovations taking place in the rehab area. The Commission, however, had not been made aware that these employees were no longer working at the center to provide care, putting endangered sea turtles at risk and took action. This lack of concern for animal welfare puts these already sick animals under further stress, hampering their ability to heal.
• Gumbo Limbo Coastal Stewards is using this crisis to fundraise, suggesting it will use the funds to somehow bring back the beloved sea turtle patients.  But the decision to reinstate the rehab program and allow turtles to return to Gumbo Limbo is not in the hands of GLCS officials. For sea turtles to return to Gumbo Limbo, the center must first find two qualified veterinarians, rehabilitation staff, and reapply for a new permit. No amount of money expedites this process, as it is fully determined by FWC staff. (Page 4-10)
• Gumbo Limbo Coastal Stewards is hemorrhaging money, with senior management draining the budget with big salaries, questionable spending, and an unsustainable level of expenses. Charity Navigator, which rates nonprofits, has given GLCS 0 stars (a “very poor” ranking of 45%) due to a lack of accountability in their finances and no well-defined impacts or results.
• Hundreds of sea turtles seek refuge and care at Gumbo Limbo every year and the loss of this facility would be an immense hit to sea turtle conservation. If GLCS gains control of the beloved sea turtle hospital, the oversight from a board and CEO that do not have endangered animals' care at the forefront of their actions would be tantamount to a loss of the hospital altogether.

The entire structure of Gumbo Limbo Coastal Stewards needs a massive overhaul, starting with:

• A full investigation by an independent auditor into the organization’s finances.
• Dramatically increased financial and other operational transparency with donors, staff, and volunteers.
• New, professional management to replace the current Chief Executive Officer.  

We who sign this petition demand the above actions. As a quasi-government entity, all financial and email correspondences are a matter of public record (prior to September 2022) and will be brought to the forefront one way or another.