Sea Turtles

• We take our responsibility to protect wildlife, marine life and the environment very seriously.
• We take proactive measures to identify, remove and rehabilitate all sea turtles and marine life found within our canals through our St. Lucie Marine Research Station.
• We partner with local conservation groups to protect fish and turtles.
• We are always evaluating our wildlife protection program to better protect animals and the environment.

How can you help turtles?

• Never approach or harass sea turtles that are nesting or emerging from the sea
• Do not disturb or remove eggs from sea turtle nests
• Be careful while boating to avoid collisions with turtles
• Never throw trash in the water or on the beach
• Learn how to keep sea turtles in the dark
• If you find an injured or dead turtle in Florida, call the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's Wildlife Alert Hotline at (888) 404-FWCC or (888) 404-3922

Turtle Hatchlings

Here is a map showing turtle nesting areas. If you see a turtle hatchling that is wandering away from the ocean:

• Gently redirect it to the ocean and allow the turtle to crawl into the ocean on its own.
• If you find a lethargic sea turtle, contact the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission at (888) 404-3922.
  

Contact your local government for more information on lighting ordinances.

Download map

Loggerhead

• The loggerhead turtle is the most common nesting turtle in Florida, but it is still considered a threatened species under the federal Endangered Species Act.
• The loggerhead has powerful jaws to crush the clams, crabs and other hard-shelled invertebrate animals on which it feeds.
• Tens of thousands of loggerhead nests are recorded in Florida annually.

Leatherback

• The endangered leatherback turtle is the largest and most active of the sea turtles.
• Up to eight feet in length, these huge turtles have a rubbery, dark shell marked by seven narrow ridges that extend the length of the back.
• Leatherbacks feed on jellyfish and soft-bodied animals that would appear to provide very little nutrition for such huge animals.
• Between 700 to more than 1,700 leatherback nests are recorded in Florida each year.

Green

• The green turtle, named for the greenish color of its body fat, is listed as endangered in Florida. Roughly 4,500 to 15,000 nests are recorded in Florida each year.
• Green turtles have been hunted for centuries for their meat and gelatinous "calipee" that is made into soup.
• Green turtles are the only sea turtles that eat plants. They graze on the vast beds of seagrasses found throughout the tropics.

Kemp’s Ridley Turtle

• The rarest and smallest of all the sea turtles, the endangered Kemp's ridley feeds on crabs and shrimp in the coastal waters off of Florida.
• Most Kemp's ridleys nest on a single stretch of beach on the east coast of Mexico.
• The Kemp's ridley is only one of two species of sea turtles that nest in arribadas, a term used to describe large groups of females gathering and nesting all at the same

Hawksbill

• A relatively small turtle, the endangered hawksbill has been hunted to the brink of extinction for its beautiful shell.
• Once relatively common in Florida, these turtles now nest here rarely.
• Hawksbills feed on sponges and other invertebrates and tend to nest on small isolated beaches.