Marco’s Sea Turtle Lighting Ordinance

Attachments

2024-08-15_A_16.pdf

2024-08-15_A_19.pdf

Collier County sea turtle nesting season is from May 1st to October 31st and Marco Island beaches turn into a nesting habitat for the female loggerhead sea turtles. According to experts, the only reason for a female sea turtle to come out of the water is to NEST! The goal of Marco’s Sea Turtle Lighting Ordinance is to ensure the safety of sea turtles during the nesting season and to prevent false crawls and disorientation.

Under Marco’s Sea Turtle Lighting Ordinance, “After one warning in a calendar year, excluding an irreparable event, the following shall apply:

First Offense: minimum of $150.00, not to exceed $500.00 for each offense.

Second Offense: minimum of $500.00, not to exceed $1,500.00.

Third Offense: minimum of $1,500.00, not to exceed $2,000.00.

According to the sea turtle ordinance, “After an appropriate period to correct the violation, each day such violation continues shall be considered a separate offense. Additionally, each sea turtle or eggs that are killed injured, or molested shall constitute a separate violation. Any other person, who commits, participates in, assists in, or maintains such violation may each be found guilty of a separate offense and suffer the penalties herein provided.”

Marco Island Code Enforcement Officer, Raymond Leshinger, shared the following: “When we started enforcement this season we give everyone an initial warning on their first violation so that’s why they didn’t make the magistrate calendar in July…There are three (3) cases scheduled for August magistrate because they have additional violations. As of July 29, we have 17 Notices of Violation that have been issued since the start of the season.”

The list of 17 Notices of Violation as provided by Marco Island Code Enforcement: