Concerns about sea turtle lighting prompt city to investigate

At the Longboat Key Town Commission workshop on May 20, resident Cyndi Seamon began a discussion with commissioners about lighting problems she had observed on the beach at night. The problems are related to the town’s ordinances protecting nesting sea turtles on the beach.

Seamon is also vice president of the Longboat Key Turtle Watch, but said at the workshop that she was not necessarily representing the LBKTW. She said she was there as a concerned citizen who has been monitoring lighting problems on Longboat Key for many years.

“I need to bring this to your attention to see if we can find a solution sooner or later,” Seamon said.

Municipal ordinances on lighting visible from the beach help minimize sea turtle disorientation, which is typically more of a problem for hatchlings but also affects brooding mothers.

Disorientation occurs when artificial light prevents adults from finding a nesting site or confuses young birds who would otherwise follow moonlight to find the gulf.

Seamon presented two main issues to the commissioners: the construction of the St. Regis and the new street lighting on Gulf of Mexico Drive.

Seamon showed images of the St. Regis construction site, with lights on in most parts of the complex visible from the beach.

According to City Manager Howard Tipton, St. Regis construction crews have met with the city’s building inspector and explained that the lighting system will be operated using a wireless system. That system is currently being installed, Tipton said.

Tipton said the construction manager has worked to resolve the issue, but the developer has not met the deadline to resolve the issue and will be fined $500 per day until the issue is resolved, according to Tipton.

Allen Parsons, director of planning, zoning and building, said the city’s ordinance requires 45% opacity for windows that allow light from the beach to be seen. The ordinance also says that 45% opacity may not block all light from the beach, and if so, additional measures would be needed.

Parsons explained at the workshop that he believes the St. Regis’ windows have an opacity of 42%. The lower the percentage, the more light is blocked.

The St. Regis may be an example where additional measures would be required, as despite 42% opacity, light is still visible.

“This is what perfectly bright lights can look like behind a window pane with about 45% opacity. It’s still pretty bright,” Parsons said.

Mayor Ken Schneier suggested that the city keep pressure on the St. Regis team and continue talks rather than simply fining the team.

“We’ve spent so much time protecting the turtles here and doing the right thing, and we’re very aware of the disorientation that we’ve seen, which is greater here than on other islands and other places. So this shouldn’t be happening,” Schneier said.

The other issue raised by Seamon concerned the new streetlights on Gulf of Mexico Drive that were installed as part of the underground utility project.

Seamon said these lights are easily visible from the beach during nighttime walks, as are other lights, such as the new crosswalk lights near Bayfront Park.

Image courtesy

Seamon said these lights are easily visible from the beach during nighttime walks, as are other lights, such as the new crosswalk lights near Bayfront Park.

“I wasn’t even that far down the beach and it was beaming down the beach,” Seamon said of the light in Bayfront Park.

Parsons said his department is aware of the problem with the new lights. He said the Planning, Zoning and Building Department is working with the various owners of the different lights to figure out what the best solution is.

“We are working on shielding and/or turning off these lights,” Parsons said at the workshop.

According to the latest update from Parsons, the city is currently working on shielding the lights and will evaluate the effectiveness of the shields. Then, if further action is needed, the city will follow up.

These additional measures might include figuring out how to time the lights to turn off if they are still too bright with the shielding.

Sea turtle nesting season officially began on May 1, but the first nest was found by LBKTW volunteers on the Manatee County side of Longboat Key on May 3.

According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, sea turtles’ nesting season is about two months, meaning the first nests on Longboat Key most likely won’t hatch until July, when disorientation is a bigger problem.