Nesting season winds down on Anna Maria Island, around Florida

By Lisa Neff

Florida’s sea turtles are on track for record nesting numbers for two species, but the season on Anna Maria Island tells a different story.

Nesting numbers declined on the island in 2026 and fewer hatchlings survived.

Beach erosion, predators and artificial lighting took a toll, according to Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch and Shorebird Monitoring.

“Lights out” remains the beach rule through Oct. 31, but AMITW has issued its final weekly report for the 2026 season. As of Oct. 13, AMITW had no nests to monitor.

Executive director Kristen Mazzarella issued preliminary numbers and an assessment for the season. Nesting, she said, was average, but hatchling production declined with predation, artificial lighting and beach erosion contributing to the losses.

Protected sea turtle species that nest on Florida beaches include loggerheads, greens, leatherbacks, Kemp’s ridleys, olive ridleys and hawksbills.

Florida is one of the world’s most important nesting grounds for loggerheads and a major nesting area for green turtles and leatherbacks. During nesting season, females crawl ashore to dig nests and deposit eggs in the sand. After about two months of incubation, hatchlings emerge and make their way to the Gulf or Atlantic.

Nesting season generally runs May through October on AMI. This year’s first nest on AMITW was documented May 12 by AMITW, a volunteer-driven nonprofit that operates under government permits.

“We would like to send a huge thank you out to our volunteers, donors and stakeholders we have worked with this year, as well as all the businesses, homeowners and property managers that have helped out the sea turtles and shorebirds this season by providing educational information to their renters and visitors, attending our stakeholder meetings and making sure their properties are using turtle-friendly practices for lighting as well as keeping the beach clean and flat at night,” Mazzarella said.

AMITW documented 460 turtle nests in 2026, down from 544 in 2025. Of the 2026 nests, 261 hatched, producing 17,609 hatchlings.

“Hatchling production was down,” Mazzarella said. “Possible explanations for this are continued erosion of the beach since hurricanes in 2024, causing low elevations and water intrusion from the water table as well as tidal inundation; increased coyote presence on the island, with coyotes digging at and eating nests this year. Some potential coyote predations were documented in 2025, but much fewer than in 2026.”

Predators destroyed 3% of island nests, according to AMITW data.

Surf washed out another 15%.

Artificial lighting also contributed to losses.

There were 91 hatchling disorientation events, leading to at least 259 dead hatchlings, according to AMITW.

“Disorientations — adults and hatchlings going landward instead of seaward which leads to unnecessary energy expenditure and potential harm due to artificial lighting — remain very high,” Mazzarella said. “Due to disorientations, hatchling production was reduced by at least 259 hatchlings, bringing our actual production down from 17,609 to 17,350.”

Other nesting numbers

Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium reports nesting numbers south of Anna Maria island, from Longboat Key to Venice. Final numbers won’t be available until after Oct. 31, but, as of Oct. 17, Mote had reported 4,929 nests compared with 5,733 in 2025.

Statewide, however, preliminary counts suggest nesting records for loggerheads and leatherbacks.

The count for loggerheads — the most common sea turtles nesting in the state — was 136,124 as of Sept. 30, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Research Institute. That number’s above the record 134,930 nests in 2023.

“These numbers are still preliminary and will need to be verified before we can officially call 2026 a new record year, but it’s an exciting milestone!” the FWC said in an early report.

The state described the nesting season for leatherbacks as remarkable, with 2,211 nests documented as of Sept. 30. If verified, that’s also a record.

Green turtle nesting varies widely from year to year. The FWC described 2026 as a strong year for the species, with 54,629 nests documented.

Kemp’s ridley turtles remain rare nesters on Florida beaches, with 15 nests documented as of Sept. 30.

One rare olive ridley nest was documented May 18 on Jupiter Beach.

There were no hawksbill nests recorded as of Sept. 30.

Other states, including Georgia, South Carolina and Texas, also monitor sea turtle nests.

Florida’s final 2026 counts will not be released until early 2027, before the next nesting season begins. Looking ahead, Mazzarella said, “Lighting education and enforcement need to be addressed