Early Loggerhead Nest Signals Strong Sea Turtle Season

0:00Sea Turtle nesting season kicked off early down in Sarasota County, with the first nests of the 2026 season spotted on Venice Beach. Moe Marine Laboratory confirmed it's a loggerhead that threatened species we see nesting most around here, protected by federal law. Monitoring started April 15th, with staff, interns, and over 300 volunteers patrolling 35 miles of beaches from Wangbo Key to Venice through October 31st. They hit the sand each morning, spotting crawls, marking nests, and gathering data on everything from timing shifts to hatch success. Last year was a record breaker for them, clocking 5,736 nests along those same stretches, showing these turtles are. Thriving Despite the odds, loggerheads rely on our beaches, but threats like lights and trash mess with their night crawls to the sea. To keep them safe, dim those beachfront lights after dark from May to October, stack furniture away, fill sand holes, and skip flashlights or fireworks.

1:02If you spot trouble like injured turtles or nests tampering, hit up moat at 888-345-2335 or Florida Wildlife at 888-404-3922. This early nest signals a strong season ahead, so let's all stay vigilant and give these ancient mariners the space they need to keep laying those. Eggs Local news, powered by AI. This is Tampa Bay News today.