Analysis
Sea turtles that nest in the state of Florida are designated threatened or endangered and are protected by the U.S. Endangered Species Act. Therefore, activities involving sea turtles require proper authorization and permitting. In Florida, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is granted authority by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to issue these approvals.
Miami-Dade County’s Sea Turtle Conservation Program is the local entity permitted by FWC to conduct sea turtle conservation activities in Miami-Dade County including but not limited to nesting surveys, relocations, and hatchling releases. The County conducts nest surveys on a daily basis. When new nests are identified, they are sectioned off using stakes and survey tape, as well as labeled with a standard sign indicating that the nest has been evaluted and marked by an authorized permit holder (Attachment A). This method is customary practice statewide in accordance with the FWC Marine Turtle Conservation Handbook (http://myfwc.com/media/4112794/fwc-mtconservationhandbook.pdf).
In other areas of the state, marked nests are fitted with additional signage. For example, Volusia County places a second sign under the one required by FWC to provide more information on how lighting impacts turtles and what the community can do to help (Attachment B). Similarly, Disney’s Vero Beach Resort adds a secondary sign to marked nests with fun facts on the species of turtle that laid the nest (Attachment C).
City staff is coordinating with the County and FWC to develop and install additional signage on Miami Beach nests using the city’s graphic designer. The purpose of these signs is to provide educational information on our native sea turtle species and what we can do to protect them to improve public awareness. Based on feedback provided at the public workshops held earlier this year, the educational signs should be small enough to be affixed to the stakes used to mark the nests and focus on communicating two to three clear messages using graphics so they can be easily understood by our international community.