Early morning last Friday, June 12th, Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Cory Snyder pulled onto Madeira Beach at John’s Pass Park and immediately noticed something strange. A large female sea turtle with its head trapped underneath a beach cabana chair. Making the matter even more urgent was that she had obviously just laid her eggs and was trying to
cover her nest.
The turtle obviously needed help but could not be touched. Instead of trying to move the turtle, Deputy Snyder enlisted the help of city Public Works staff to pick up the heavy cabana chair and moved it off the turtle. This allowed her to continue her natural process of covering her nest and turning around to head back into the water.
Section 42-32 of the Madeira Beach city code makes it “unlawful for any person to leave an item of personal property unattended on the public beaches or within the public beach access areas between the one hour after sunset and sunrise of the following day”. A violation of the ordinance includes a fine of $100 for the first offense, $200 for the second offense and $500 for the third and any subsequent offense.
“This is why it is illegal to leave items on the beach overnight or not fill in holes in the sand. Turtles are protected by law and we will enforce that law whenever the evidence is in place to support an action,” said Madeira Beach City Manager Bob Daniels. “The beach is one of our most important assets, so when you ignore the law by littering, leaving beach chairs and other items overnight, or not filling in holes, you are breaking the law and that has consequences. Our wildlife, our environment, and our community
deserve better.” Sea turtle season runs from May 1 – October 31.
For more information about protecting sea turtles visit the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission website at http://myfwc.com/.
For more information about Madeira Beach and local efforts to protect sea turtles, contact Curt Preisser, City of Madeira Beach Public Information Officer at 727-391-9951 x299 or cpreisser@madeirabeachfl.gov.
Information courtesy of the City of Madeira Beach.