Sea Turtle Conservancy covers costs of turtle-friendly lighting

The nonprofit organization wants to replace lights that can disorient sea turtles at homes, condos and businesses.

Any light that can be seen from the beach can threaten the safety of sea turtles and other wildlife, said Rachel Tighe, lighting project manager at the Sea Turtle Conservancy.

The conservancy is carrying out a project to replace lights across Southwest Florida’s coasts, covering 100% of costs, but the STC’s attention is focused on one area in particular.

Sarasota and Manatee counties have taken less advantage of the services than other counties in the project’s range, which extends from Pinellas County in the north to Collier County in the south, Tighe said.

Sarasota County has the highest rate of turtles becoming disoriented — or led away from the ocean by onshore lighting — of all counties in that range, said Tighe.

Tighe said it is difficult to determine the reason for the area’s comparatively lower use of the program, although residents being misinformed could be a cause.

“We’ve been really trying to work on getting more properties in Manatee and Sarasota counties interested,” Tighe said.

Now, the organization’s focus is moving toward smaller properties, which can utilize grants of $25,000 or less. In the past, Tighe said, large condominiums had been the primary users of the project.

The conservancy is now emphasizing private homes, small condominiums and small businesses, as well as some hotels and resorts, until June 2024, with the grant overall set to expire in February 2025.

The project’s research shows a decrease in disorientation rates detectable in areas where fewer lights are present.