Ordinances have become increasingly necessary as beach communities populate and expand. This becomes problematic when bright lights are in close proximity to the sand, where turtles hatch at night. All too often, turtles instinctively head toward artificial light from balconies, windows and street posts, rather than begin their trek to the sea.

‘’The hatchlings should be attracted to the moon and stars over the ocean, but instead they get disoriented from the lights on the condos,’’ explained Mary Wonzy, assistant manager for Nova Southeastern University’s sea turtle conservation program.

Many of the tiny baby loggerheads, green and leatherback turtles do make it back to sea, evidenced by their tracks in the sand. Unfortunately, many others become disoriented and are easy prey to birds or other animals. Hatchlings can also die from heat exhaustion if they’re on the pavement or hot sand for too long, and they are no match for cars on roads and parking lots. What’s more, they are known to crawl into swimming pools, where the high concentration of chlorine is lethal.

To combat this, cities such as Miami Beach, Fort Lauderdale, along with Hallandale and Pompano Beaches have adopted ‘’turtle-friendly’’ lighting ordinances to deter turtles from wandering toward land. Additionally, most counties along Florida’s coast have turtle lighting laws in place.

Broward County, despite the ordinances, lags behind the rest of the state in protecting the turtle population, say experts. Enforcement of lighting ordinances is inconsistent, and the problem is not going away any time soon.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and sea turtle organizations have launched educational campaigns to alert the public about the importance of using proper lighting near beaches.

In Miami, sections of South Beach’s beach are already outfitted with ‘’turtle-friendly’’ lighting. The low-wattage lights face west and have a shield on the backside to direct glare from the beach, said Jordanna Rubin, the city’s environmental resources manager. When the remaining part of the beach walk is built, it will also be equipped with similar lighting.

By getting the word out about ‘’turtle-friendly’’ lighting, cities and counties hope to keep turtles on the beaches where they belong.