Man is the number one threat to sea turtles in our county. Sea turtles have many natural hazards such as sharks, fish, birds, ghost crabs and erosion of nests, but they have faced these hazards for millions of years and have adapted to them. However, in the last few decades in Palm Beach County, man has added unnatural hazards such as: buildings and seawalls on the dunes and beaches, illumination of the beach and coastal areas, plastics, styrofoam and fishing line littering the beach, tractors being driven on the beaches to manicure them, people disturbing sea turtles as they nest at night, and a steady increase in boating and fishing activity.
Palm Beach County is leading the way in sea turtle protection. The County's Board of County Commissioners has recognized the importance of our beaches to the sea turtles and passed the Palm Beach County Sea Turtle Protection Ordinance in 1987, one of the first in the state. The County's Department of Environmental Resources Management is responsible for implementing measures designed to protect sea turtles and urges everyone to learn more about these magnificent creatures.
Lights which shine onto the beach during sea turtle nesting season (March 1 to October 31) adversely affect adult sea turtles and hatchlings by misorienting them away from the ocean. Beachfront lighting is regulated by ERM in certain areas of the County, by the Unified Land Development Code (ULDC) Article 14 
, titled the "Sea Turtle Protection and Sand Preservation" ordinance.
ERM is charged with the implementation of the Sea Turtle Protection and Sand Preservation Ordinance. This law requires that all coastal construction adhere to strict guidelines to eliminate impacts to sea turtles. All properties that fall within the Zone of Jurisdiction are required to obtain a permit to install or replace light sources.
A Sea Turtle Lighting Plan (STLP) is required to be completed for all coastal lighting proposed for installation within the jurisdictional boundaries of the Palm Beach County Sea Turtle Protection Zone (STPZ). Sea Turtle Lighting Application [4.5MB].
Map of jurisdicitional boundaries for Article 14 . Municipalities which are within the jursdiction of Article 14 include Tequesta, Jupiter Inlet Colony, Jupiter, North Palm Beach, Riviera Beach (Singer Island), Palm beach Shores, Lake Worth, Lantana, Manalapan, and Boynton Beach. Please call our office at 561-233-2400 to confirm a particular property is within the limits of the jurisdictional boundaries of Article 14 . Additional lighting guidelines are available via two reports:
ERM conducted a study to evaluate the effect of correcting lighting on reducing sea turtle disorientations. This study found that by reducing the number of lights visible from the beach, fewer disorientation events and fewer numbers of disoriented hatchlings were observed, which resulted in a lower percentage of nests disoriented. Please see the Beachfront Lighting Reduction Through Local Regulation poster .
Coastal Resources