Disoriented sea turtle hit and killed on the road

Tracks were left early June 19 by a loggerhead sea turtle that became disoriented on Gulf Drive in Bradenton Beach and was fatally struck by a car. Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch and Shorebird Monitoring said the sea turtle’s disorientation was due to inadequate street lighting. Islander photo: Courtesy of Alexis Krummick

A Little Tern offers some food to a chick learning to stand. AMITW monitors a Little Tern colony nesting in Bradenton Beach. Islander photo: Courtesy of AMITW/Kathy Doddridge

A loggerhead turtle became disoriented early June 19 and crawled onto Gulf Drive South in Bradenton Beach, where it was struck and killed by a vehicle.

According to a Bradenton Beach Police report, the incident occurred in the 1600 block of State Road near Coquina Beach.

BBPD and other first responders arrived at the scene around 6 a.m.

Representatives from the Mote Marine Laboratory and Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch and Shorebird Monitoring were the first to respond.

The sea turtle had built its nest in the dunes and then moved disorientated towards street lamps that illuminated a zebra crossing, according to a press release from AMITW on June 19.

Female sea turtles come ashore to nest from May to October. Nesting turtles can become disoriented by beach obstructions and artificial lighting.

Federally protected sea turtles use light to find their way back to the water after nesting. They crawl toward the brightest horizon, which in nesting habitats should be the light of the night sky above the water. According to AMITW, disorientation can occur when sea turtles orient themselves toward artificial light and away from the water.

AMITW has recorded 19 cases of disorientation in nesting turtles so far this year.

The Florida Department of Transportation installed the crosswalk streetlights that caused the confusion on June 19 over the winter and turned them back on in May, AMITW Executive Director Kristen Mazzarella told The Islander.

Mazzarella said she had previously contacted the Department of Transportation about problems with crosswalk lighting, adding that the section where the traffic lights need to be replaced runs from Longboat Key through Bradenton Beach, possibly to Holmes Beach.

The day after the turtle’s death, the Department of Transportation dispatched a team to Anna Maria Island to turn off all but two crosswalk lights.

On June 21, the Department of Transportation issued a press release stating that all overhead lighting would be turned off and lightning shields would be procured.

“Discussions are ongoing and FDOT and its partners are committed to doing everything possible to protect nesting loggerhead turtles and their hatchlings,” the press release said.

“Hopefully this will prevent future incidents and protect the turtles in these areas,” Mazzarella said.

Mazzarella said she first heard about the fatal disorientation from a Manatee County worker and then from a former co-worker at Mote who was on his way to work and drove past the accident scene.

The sea turtle was transported to Mote and then picked up by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission so a necropsy could be performed.

“The good news is that she laid eggs before heading to the road, so her legacy will live on,” said Mazzarella, who expressed concern in the press release that the young from the nest could also become disoriented if the lighting problems are not addressed.

According to AMITW, in 2023, 105 of 404 nests on Anna Maria Island were disoriented.

Anyone who sees a sea turtle in distress on Anna Maria Island can call AMITW at 941-301-8434 or the FWC Wildlife Alert Hotline at 888-404-3922.

Report of the AMITW Director

During the week ending June 23, AMITW recorded “a large number of turtle nests,” according to a June 21 report by Executive Director Kristen Mazzarella.

“We believe we are approaching the peak of the season,” she added.

In June, rain, surf and floods submerged about 40 nests and washed away three nests.

AMITW also monitors a Little Tern colony in Bradenton Beach, where five chicks were born on June 21 and the colony had grown to 45 birds.