ST. PETE BEACH, Fla. — After ending last sea turtle nesting season with destructive back-to-back hurricanes in Pinellas County, volunteers with the Sea Turtle Trackers are excited and keeping positive going into a new season.

The group Sea Turtle Trackers covers the southern end of the county including St. Pete Beach, Pass-a-Grille, Shell Key and Outback Key. The team with Clearwater Marine Aquarium (CMA) covers a larger section from Treasure Island through Clearwater.

This year, CMA reported patrols started in mid-April which is earlier than in years past at the guidance of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC). Sea Turtle nesting season across the state formally begins May 1.

What You Need To Know

  • CMA recorded 271 nests in 2024 from Treasure Island through Clearwater

  • Patrols began mid-April under guidance of FWC

  • In Pinellas County, Sea Turtle Trackers and CMA patrol separate areas of beach

  • Statistics on nests and crawls are recorded and reported to FWC

Mary Reish is kicking off her ninth year with the Sea Turtle Trackers and walks the northern stretch of St. Pete Beach each morning looking for signs of turtle crawls or nests. She then charts the information and the trackers send their statistics back to FWC.

“Two years ago we had our first false crawl. I think it was April 24, so they’re out there,” she said.

Reish and the group of volunteers work their way every morning past the hotels and resorts, which wait until they get the green light from the Sea Turtle Trackers to start setting up for the day.

At Tradewinds Resort, they lost about 400 chairs and cabanas in the 2024 hurricanes. The older, heavier chairs and furniture have now been replaced with lightweight loungers and removable umbrellas.

“Now when we have turtles come and nest over here, it’s going to be a lot easier,” said the resort’s recreation director Shannon Hodges. “We can rearrange as needed to accommodate them and make sure they’re taken care of out here.”

While Reish says the 2024 sea turtle nesting season wasn’t affected too much by the storms, she says a major weather event in June or July would have. Instead, she said, it affected the depth of the beach in some areas and the size of the dunes where the turtles typically nest.

Reish says it will be interesting to see if any of the changes on the beach affect nesting season and where the turtles chose to lay their nests. Typically, turtles in Pinellas County nest every other year, and she says they saw strong numbers in 2023 so she’s hoping that will repeat in 2025.

“Last year was a light year. We only had 20 nests,” Reish said, referencing her stretch of St. Pete Beach. “But the year before — the turtles that will probably be here this year — we had a big year. So we’re expecting a good year.”

The state’s turtle nesting season rules are now in effect. No light is permitted on the beach at night unless it’s red or amber in color. All items must be removed off the beaches at night and people must stay away from nesting turtles or their nests.

Any hotels or homes that are on beach must switch over to amber lighting outdoors and keep blinds closed at night.