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City to pursue letter urging FPL to retrofit beachfront lights with amber LEDs to protect sea turtles
Summary
A local sea‑turtle nonprofit urged the council to push Florida Power & Light to convert white streetlights on barrier‑island roads to amber LED fixtures; staff offered to draft a mayoral letter and copy legislative contacts and the government liaison.
Bonita Springs — Cindy Johnson of Turtle Time, the permitted sea‑turtle monitoring group for beaches in the area, asked the council to help reduce sea‑turtle disorientation by replacing white streetlights on the barrier island with amber LED fixtures.
Johnson said amber LED lighting is accepted as safer for nesting females and hatchlings and that nearby Fort Myers Beach is moving island‑wide to amber fixtures. She suggested Bonita Springs pursue a similar retrofit and asked the city to help residents and groups who want to fund or expedite the conversion.
City staff said the roadway lights in the beach corridor are maintained by Florida Power & Light and that staff has requested FPL retrofit them to turtle‑friendly fixtures; staff also offered to prepare a letter from the mayor, copy Representative Botana and Senator Martin, and coordinate with the city’s government liaison. Councilmembers signaled agreement that staff should prepare and send the letter as requested.
The council did not appropriate funds in this meeting; staff said they would investigate state funding options and coordinate with FPL and legislative contacts.
