Sea Turtle Nesting Runs Into October, and the Rules Are Mostly About Light

Sea turtle nesting season on Miami-Dade beaches runs broadly from 1 March to 31 October. The City of Miami Beach defines its own protection period slightly more narrowly, from 1 April to 31 October, and enforces it separately.

Loggerheads are the most common nester here, with green turtles and the occasional leatherback also coming ashore. Females haul out at night, dig, lay and return to the water. Roughly two months later the hatchlings emerge, also at night.

Why lighting is the whole issue

Hatchlings find the sea by moving toward the brightest horizon, which for millions of years was the open ocean reflecting the sky. Artificial light inland reverses that, and disoriented hatchlings crawl toward roads and car parks instead of the water. It kills them in large numbers.

That is why beachfront lighting rules exist, why hotel balcony lights get shielded, and why the City of Miami Beach strengthened its turtle lighting ordinance in 2024 to include interior lighting visible from the beach and to restrict fireworks. Miami-Dade County maintains its own beachfront lighting guidance under the county code.

What a visitor should actually do

• Turn off or shield balcony and patio lights facing the beach at night.
• Do not use white torches or phone lights on the beach after dark. Red-filtered light is the accepted alternative.
• No flash photography of turtles or hatchlings, ever.
• Fill in holes, knock down sandcastles and level trenches before you leave. A nesting female or a hatchling that falls into a hole often cannot get out.
• Remove chairs, umbrellas and inflatables from the sand overnight. Marked nests are staked and roped; keep well clear.
• Never touch, handle or redirect a turtle or a hatchling.

If you find a disoriented hatchling, a stranded or injured turtle, or a disturbed nest, report it to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission rather than intervening yourself.