Sea Turtle Nesting on Brevard Beaches

FWC's 2025 survey recorded 22,716 loggerhead nests, 30,431 green turtle nests and 129 leatherback nests on 115.2 kilometers of surveyed Brevard County beach on the Space Coast.

For the Space Coast, those figures come from the Brevard row of the east coast table in FWC's 2025 Statewide Nesting Totals, which also lists each species' non-nesting emergences (FWC 2025 Statewide Nesting Totals). In FWC's key, a nest means the turtle came ashore and laid eggs; a non-nesting emergence means she left a track on the sand but laid no clutch.

The table carries no Kemp's ridley or hawksbill column, although FWC says five species, including those two, swim in Florida waters and nest on Florida beaches (FWC Marine Turtle Protection). The Brevard County code also lists all five species in its definition of marine turtle (Brevard County Code Ch. 46, Art. III). The 115.2 km is FWC's survey length for Brevard; FWC does not split the Brevard row by city, so nest totals for Cocoa Beach, Satellite Beach or Melbourne Beach on their own are not part of this table.

The federal Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge, which begins at Melbourne Beach, was set aside to protect what USFWS calls the most significant loggerhead nesting area in the world.

USFWS says the refuge stretches across 20.5 miles of beach and shoreline habitat between Melbourne Beach and Wabasso Beach in Brevard and Indian River counties, and that it was designated to protect habitat at the most significant area for loggerhead sea turtle nesting in the world and the most significant area for green turtle nesting in North America (USFWS Archie Carr NWR). The refuge was established in 1991 and named for Dr. Archie Carr, Jr. It does not run sea turtle walks, digs or releases itself, and it points visitors to the Barrier Island Center at Doc Ehrhart Sanctuary for education.

Brevard County's natural resources office ranks the Brevard shoreline among the world's most important sea turtle nesting beaches (Brevard County Animals and Wildlife). The county page describes the cycle in plain terms: females climb ashore each summer to nest, and hatchlings leave the nests that same summer for the safety of floating sargassum. In season, the county asks that homes and businesses close to the sand switch their lights off so neither mothers nor nestlings are disoriented.

On Space Coast beaches, Brevard County's wildlife page gives the season as March 1 to October 31, while the county's turtle lighting code defines nesting season as May 1 through October 31.

On the county wildlife page, the season runs from March 1 to October 31 every year (Brevard County Animals and Wildlife). Section 46-91 of the county code, the definitions for its marine turtle article, says nesting season means May 1 through October 31 and sets nighttime as 9:00 p.m. until 5:00 a.m. daily (Brevard County Code Ch. 46, Art. III). The City of Satellite Beach uses the March 1 start in its own guidance and asks beachfront properties to keep lights off and blinds closed between 9 p.m. and 7 a.m. (Sustainable Satellite). Neither source explains the difference, so the dates are shown side by side here.

From Cape Canaveral to Melbourne Beach, each Brevard beach city has its own sea turtle lighting ordinance on FWC's list, and the county's Chapter 46, Article III covers the unincorporated beaches.

The purpose clause of the county article limits it to the threatened and endangered marine turtles which nest along the unincorporated beaches of the county (Brevard County Code Ch. 46, Art. III). FWC's statewide ordinance list, which also names a code enforcement contact for each government, shows when each Space Coast government adopted or updated its rule and where it sits in the local code (FWC ordinance list).

FWC says Florida developed the Model Lighting Ordinance for Marine Turtle Protection Rule, 62B-55 of the Florida Administrative Code, to guide local governments writing their ordinances (FWC Marine Turtle Protection). The Cocoa Beach and Cape Canaveral guides on this site explain those two cities' rules in detail.

Outside the Space Coast beach cities, the Brevard County code keeps new buildings' light sources out of sight of the beach and lists fixes for existing ones, such as lights off after 9:00 p.m. in season.

For new construction on the unincorporated Space Coast shoreline, Sec. 46-94 requires that the point source of light not be directly visible from the beach and that areas seaward of the frontal dune not be lit directly, indirectly or cumulatively. Fixtures in line of sight of the beach qualify if they are completely shielded downlights or recessed fixtures with low wattage, 50 watts or less, bug type bulbs; decorative floodlights, uplights and spotlights visible from the beach are banned; parking lot lights sit on a base no higher than 48 inches; and tinted glass, or a shade screen, goes on every window and glass door with a view of the beach. Construction lighting in nesting season may not be mounted more than 15 feet above the ground, and before a certificate of occupancy the county inspector runs a night survey with all beachfront lighting turned on (Brevard County Code Ch. 46, Art. III).

Existing beachfront buildings outside the Space Coast beach cities get a list of measures under Sec. 46-95, among them: reposition fixtures, add recessed sources or shields, use yellow bug bulbs not exceeding 50 watts, plant vegetation buffers, or extinguish the fixtures after 9:00 p.m. during the period of May 1 to October 31. Indoor light counts too; the section calls for window tint, moving lamps away from windows, blinds or curtains, and turning off unnecessary lights. The county defines tinted glass as glass with an inside-to-outside light transmittance of 45 percent or less. A conviction under the article can bring a fine not to exceed $500.00, county jail not to exceed six months, or both, under Sec. 46-92 (Brevard County Code Ch. 46, Art. III).

The yellow bug bulb language in the Brevard County code differs from FWC's lighting guidelines, which ask for long wavelength light of 560 nm or greater, amber, orange or red, in fixtures that are low and fully shielded (FWC lighting guidelines).

Satellite Beach bans any light visible on the beach at night in season, including amber and red light, and bans flashlights, flash photography and fires on the sand during nesting season.

The City of Satellite Beach's Sustainable Satellite page lists its key rules under City Chapter 26, Article X and County Chapter 46, Article III: no visible lights on the beach at night during nesting season, including white, amber and red lights; outdoor lighting shielded or turned off so it cannot be seen from the beach; blinds or curtains closed on ocean-facing windows at night; and no flashlights, flash photography or fires on the beach during nesting season (Sustainable Satellite). The same page says the city's Sea Turtle Lighting Program includes public education and lighting surveys, with funding for the 2025 to 2026 program year provided by the Sea Turtle Grants Program.

For a Satellite Beach property owner choosing fixtures, FWC's three golden rules are keep it low, keep it long and keep it shielded, and FWC says its list of certified wildlife lighting incorporates all three (FWC lighting guidelines). The Satellite Beach page itself asks beachfront owners to install turtle-friendly fixtures or retrofit existing ones with shields that direct light away from the beach (Sustainable Satellite).

FWC permits public night turtle walks at several Space Coast sites, and anyone who sees a nest being disturbed or an injured turtle should call FWC Wildlife Alert at 888-404-3922.

FWC says permitted public turtle walks, hatchling releases and nest hatch evaluations are run by its Marine Turtle Permit Holders, begin with an off-beach program, and take place at night for walks and releases. Its list of public turtle walks includes Canaveral National Seashore's Apollo Center at Playalinda Beach, the Barrier Island Ecosystem Center in Melbourne Beach, and walk sites at Pelican Beach Park, Spessard Holland North, the Melbourne Beach Community Center and Coconut Point Park (FWC Sea Turtle Viewing Opportunities). On any beach, FWC asks people who meet a nesting turtle or hatchling to keep their distance, stay quiet, keep hands off and keep all lights off, including cell phones, flashlights, flash photography and video.

On Space Coast beaches as elsewhere, FWC's sea turtle program lists Wildlife Alert, 888-404-FWCC (3922), for someone disturbing a sea turtle nest or an injured, dead or harassed sea turtle, with *FWC or #FWC from a cell phone (FWC Sea Turtle Program). The state law behind those calls is the Marine Turtle Protection Act, which, except as authorized, bars any person, firm or corporation from knowingly taking, disturbing, molesting or harassing a marine turtle, hatchling, egg or nest (s. 379.2431, Florida Statutes).

Last verified: October 21, 2026, once the Brevard row of FWC's 2025 nesting table had been checked line by line along with FWC's ordinance, lighting, viewing and protection pages, Brevard County's marine turtle article and wildlife page, the Sustainable Satellite page, the Archie Carr refuge page and s. 379.2431.