St. Augustine’s beaches are among Florida’s important sea turtle nesting grounds. From May 1 through October 31 each year, female sea turtles come ashore at night to nest, and hatchlings dig out and make their run to the ocean. During this window, a few simple actions from you are not just appreciated - in many beach areas they’re required by county and city ordinance, and they genuinely save lives.
Here’s what’s happening, why it matters, and the short list of what we ask of you.
What’s nesting here
St. Augustine’s beaches are primarily loggerhead nesting habitat, with green sea turtles also nesting and the occasional leatherback. All are protected under the federal Endangered Species Act. It’s estimated that only about 1 in 4,000 hatchlings survives to adulthood - so every nest that hatches successfully matters enormously.
Why the lights go out
Hatchlings find the ocean by heading toward the brightest, most open horizon - which, on a natural dark beach, is the moonlit and starlit water. Artificial light from homes, patios, and streetlights overrides that instinct and pulls hatchlings inland, away from the water, where they die from exhaustion, dehydration, predators, or traffic. Bright lights also discourage nesting females from coming ashore at all.
That’s why beachfront areas go dark at night during the season. It isn’t fussiness - a single lit window facing the beach can disorient an entire nest of hatchlings.
What we ask of you (beachfront and beach-adjacent rentals)
If your rental faces or sits near the beach, please follow these steps from dusk to dawn, May 1 through October 31:
- Turn off exterior lights facing the beach - patio, balcony, deck, landscape, and pool lights. If a light must stay on for safety, keep it off unless actively needed.
- Close blinds, curtains, or shades on ocean-facing windows and glass doors after dark, so interior light doesn’t spill onto the beach.
- Don’t use flashlights, phone lights, or flash photography on the beach at night. If you need light to walk, use a red or amber LED light - turtles don’t see red wavelengths the way they see white, so it won’t disorient them.
- If you find a nesting turtle or hatchlings, keep your distance, stay quiet, no lights, no touching. Give them room and let them do their thing - it’s one of the most remarkable things you’ll see on this coast.
- Never disturb marked nests or the stakes and tape protecting them.
- Take beach chairs, canopies, tents, and trash off the beach overnight - items left on the sand can trap or block nesting turtles.
- Fill in holes and flatten sandcastles before you leave - hatchlings get stuck in them.
- Vehicular beach access closes at 7:30 PM and reopens at 8:00 AM during nesting season.
- Fireworks, campfires, and glass are prohibited on St. Johns County beaches.
The rules have teeth
Sea turtles are federally protected. Touching, disturbing, or harassing a nesting turtle, a nest, or hatchlings is a federal crime, carrying fines up to $25,000 and up to a year in jail. St. Johns County also enforces a Light Management Plan to keep beaches dark during nesting season, and lighting violations can result in daily fines. Under your rental agreement, any fine assessed against the property for a violation during your stay may be passed on to you. Following the steps above keeps everyone in the clear.
Found an injured or stranded turtle?
If you come across an injured, dead, or stranded sea turtle on the beach, call the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s Wildlife Alert hotline at 1-888-404-FWCC (1-888-404-3922). FWC’s marine turtle rescue partners will respond - please do not attempt to move the turtle yourself.
Questions?
If you’re not sure whether your specific rental is in a regulated lighting zone, or you want to know exactly which lights to shut off, call our office at 904-429-7373 or email info@firstchoiceflorida.com before your stay. We’re happy to walk you through it.
Thank you for helping protect one of St. Augustine’s most extraordinary natural events. Enjoy the beach - and the dark skies.