City Of St. Pete Beach issued the following announcement on Aug. 11.
Five different sea turtles species are found in Florida’s waters and nesting on our beaches. All sea turtles found in Florida are protected under state statutes.
Leave ONLY your footprints when you depart. This includes removing beach chairs, umbrellas, tents, towels, trash, and any swimming or sports equipment.
Fill in any holes on the beach. If you have children, make sure they leave the beach sand as they found it. Female sea turtles and their hatchlings can easily be trapped into holes left on the beach.
Dogs are not allowed on our beaches. They can potentially disturb a nest or interfere with sea turtle females and hatchlings.
Light can disrupt in the natural behavior of sea turtles and their hatchlings. Don’t use any flashlights, flash photography, or video equipment at night on the beaches. This can cause a female to false crawl or lead a hatchling away from the water.
Stay out of the way. Don’t put your hands on or near any sea turtle. Doing so may cause a female to return to the ocean before finishing her nest, or misdirect a hatchling away from the water.
To report someone disturbing a sea turtle nest or an injured, dead or harassed sea turtle call Wildlife Alert 888-404-FWCC (888-404-3922) or report it online. Cell phone users can also call *FWC or #FWC, or send a text to Tip@MyFWC.com.
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Original source can be found here
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