New effort to help sea turtles at Jacksonville Beach

JACKSONVILLE BEACH, Fla. — There is a new effort to help sea turtles in our area.

New amber lights are being installed throughout Jacksonville Beach.

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Right now, we are in the middle of nesting season for sea turtles.

Both Beach Energy Services and the Beaches Sea Turtle Patrol say amber lights can help.

“We realized there is a light, a specific light that doesn’t look like the moon,” says Matt Seeley with Beach Energy Services.

Seeley says the lights they are installing look orange, and sea turtles aren’t attracted to them.

“We’ve just been trying to pick a light to be able to put in those locations to the beach that would not distract them,” said Seeley.

Seeley says these lights will go in 35 locations throughout Jacksonville Beach and surrounding beaches.

The project will cost approximately $75,000.

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Right now, they are waiting for a certain part for those lights to come in before the project can be completed.

“We have specific brackets that we had to have for the pole and those lights, and right now we are waiting on the brackets,” said Seeley.

Kevin Brown, with the Beaches Sea Turtle Patrol, says when regular lights are used, it can hurt the sea turtles.

“The lights (disorient) the animal and cause them a lot of anxiety,” said Brown.

He says there’s a reason why these turtles constantly return to beaches in North Florida.

“These animals coming up and nesting every year and giving off thousands of hatchlings mean our beaches are healthy, our waters are good,” said Brown.

Brown adds if you see a sea turtle, never try and pick one up.

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