The Light Between Life and Loss

New data from Broward County's 2025 lighting season reveals both progress and urgent gaps, and what our community can do about it before nesting season begins.

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Every spring, something ancient happens along our coastline. Female sea turtles, some older than many of us, return to the very beaches where they were born to lay the next generation. They navigate by light: the bright open horizon of the ocean is their compass. But increasingly, what they find upon arrival is a wall of artificial light pulling them in the wrong direction. And their hatchlings face the same deadly confusion every night of nesting season.

The good news is that our community is making a measurable difference. The challenging news is that there is still a long way to go, and time is not on the turtles' side. Here's what the latest science and data tell us, and how you can be part of the solution.

Progress Is Real, and So Is the Problem

Each year, Broward County's Sea Turtle Conservation Program (BCSTCP) conducts monthly nighttime surveys along the entire coastline from March through September, documenting every light source visible from the beach, seeing our coast exactly as a sea turtle would. Their 2025 data, presented at the January 2026 Broward County Lighting Workshop, tells a story of meaningful progress alongside significant ongoing challenges.

~35%

County-wide compliance in 2025. (The highest since tracking began in 2012.)

767+

Coastal properties are surveyed monthly across 8 municipalities

~65%

Properties still emitting light that can disorient nesting turtles and hatchlings.

The upward trend in compliance is real, and it matters, and it is a direct result of advocacy, education, and the work of code enforcement agencies across South Florida. But with roughly two-thirds of coastal properties still out of compliance, hatchling disorientation events remain a serious threat every single nesting season.

"Every compliant dark property along this coastline represents a safer stretch of beach for a nesting mother and her hatchlings. Progress here is measured in lives." — Sea Turtle Oversight Protection

Not All Beaches Are Equal

Compliance varies dramatically across Broward's eight coastal municipalities. Some communities have made extraordinary strides. Others still have critical work ahead.

Hallandale Beach is a particular concern, with the lowest compliance in the county and the highest average number of lights per property, 17 visible lights per parcel on average. These are not small numbers. Every one of those lights is a potential death trap for a hatchling trying to find the ocean.

What's Causing the Most Non-Compliance?

Interior lighting shining through windows and glass doors accounts for nearly 29% of all non-compliant light sources county-wide, followed by ceiling-mount fixtures (11%), wall-mount fixtures (11%), and pool lighting (10%). These are all fixable, with the right knowledge and commitment.

The Science Is Simple. The Three Rules.

Sea turtles navigate by light. They evolved over millions of years to use the natural brightness of the ocean horizon and the moon to find their way to and from the sea. Artificial lights disrupt this ancient navigation, drawing nesting females away from the waterline and sending hatchlings crawling toward roads and parking lots instead of the surf.

Turtle-safe lighting comes down to three straightforward principles, recognized by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the Sea Turtle Conservancy:

01

Keep It Low

Mount fixtures as close to the ground as possible. The lower the light, the less the beach it illuminates. Use lower wattage and fewer lumens.

02

Keep It Shielded

Shield all light sources so they are not directly or indirectly visible from the beach. Fully-shielded fixtures direct light downward and away from the shoreline.

03

Keep It Long

Use long-wavelength light sources emitting 560 nanometers or greater — amber or red tones. Sea turtles are least sensitive to these wavelengths. FWC maintains a certified wildlife lighting product list.

The Path Forward: Ordinances Matter

Individual property compliance is critical, but lasting protection for sea turtles requires stronger legal frameworks. At January's Broward County Lighting Workshop, Sea Turtle Conservancy presented a sobering picture: 80% of Florida's local governments have room for significant improvement when it comes to matching the state's updated 2020 Model Lighting Ordinance. Only 8 ordinances across the entire state have been updated to meet current standards. 

For Broward's municipalities, the recommendations are clear: expand lighting ordinance definitions to reflect current technology, widen the jurisdictional boundary from the shoreline, extend coverage from sunset to sunrise for the entire nesting season, clarify requirements for both new and existing construction, and establish stronger standards for interior lighting and temporary construction lights.

These aren't bureaucratic details. They are the difference between a legal framework that protects sea turtles and one that leaves critical gaps wide open, gaps that hatchlings fall through every single night of nesting season.

"Aim for improvement, not perfection. One word in an ordinance can make a big difference for an entire nesting season." — Sea Turtle Conservancy (2026 Broward Lighting Workshop)

What You Can Do Right Now

You don't need to wait for an ordinance update to make a difference. Whether you're a beachfront resident, a hotel manager, a condo board member, or simply a neighbor who cares, here are the most impactful steps you can take this nesting season:

For Residents & Property Owners

Walk your property at night from the beach side and look at what's visible. Close blinds and curtains after dark during nesting season. Replace any visible exterior lights with FWC-certified long-wavelength amber fixtures. Turn off decorative and landscape lighting from May through October.

For HOAs, Hotels & Property Managers

Schedule a lighting survey with S.T.O.P. or the Broward County Sea Turtle Conservation Program. Replacing non-compliant lighting, particularly pool lighting, wall-mount fixtures, and interior-facing glass, can dramatically reduce your impact on disorientation events. Properties that have undergone retrofits have seen disorientation rates drop by 100% in front of their buildings.

For Everyone

Stay informed, stay vocal, and contact your city commissioners about lighting ordinance updates. Advocacy at the local level is where change happens fastest. And share what you learn, community education is one of the most powerful tools we have.

Nesting Season is March 1 - October 31

Join S.T.O.P.'s volunteer program and be on the beach when it matters most. Every nest matters. Every hatchling deserves a chance to find the sea.

Volunteer with S.T.O.P.

Resist Extinction. Protect Sea Turtles. Inspire Change.