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Code officer reports 11 lighting violations in preseason sea-turtle survey; town to conduct three surveys during nesting season
Summary
Code Officer Jake Mikrans briefed council on sea turtle nesting season (March 1'Oct. 31), town lighting surveys conducted by EAI, 36 properties surveyed preseason, and 11 ordinance violations; staff sent notices and expects most properties to correct issues within the standard 30-day compliance window.
Code Officer Jake Mikrans told the Town of Indian River Shores council March 26, 2025, that the sea turtle nesting season runs March 1 through Oct. 31 and that artificial exterior lights visible from the beach can disorient hatchling sea turtles.
Mikrans said the town uses an independent vendor, EAI, to conduct three lighting surveys each season: a preseason baseline (completed Feb. 24), a mid-season survey (typically May'June) and an end-of-season survey. The preseason report surveyed 36 properties and identified 11 violations of the town's lighting ordinance; notices were sent to those property owners. Mikrans reported he has been in contact with at least three properties that said they have either corrected or are in the process of correcting the issues and that compliance should be more evident on the next survey.
Mikrans emphasized technical guidance on fixtures and bulbs: exterior amber or red lights "have little to no impact on baby turtles," and certified fixtures and bulbs are listed on the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) website. He described the town's brochure and weekly newsletter notice advising residents on permitted lighting, and he showed an example EAI report that records location, coordinates, property type, violation details and whether a light source is visible from the beach.
Mikrans summarized other applicable town and state restrictions discussed at the meeting: no exterior point source of light shall be directly visible from the ground in any area of the beach; no point source shall directly illuminate seaward of the primary dune; motorized vehicles on the beach are prohibited except for emergency and specially approved vehicles; no campfires or horseback riding. When a violation is found, the enforcement practice described at the meeting is to provide notice and typically give 30 days to correct the condition, though the timeline can be sooner or later depending on severity.
The council thanked Mikrans for the presentation and for progress compared with prior seasons; the officer noted the number of violations in the preseason survey is a positive start compared with earlier years.
