St. Pete Beach panel advances draft wildlife-friendly marine lighting ordinance, proposes stricter window and pool rules

The St. Pete Beach Marine Turtle & Shoreline Committee on Tuesday reviewed a marked-up marine lighting ordinance that would tighten coastal lighting standards, require inspections for new beachfront construction, and expand rules for temporary and pool lighting to reduce harm to sea turtles and other wildlife.

Brent Bridal Berry, senior planner for the city, told the committee the draft replaces bulb-type rules with a wavelength standard and would require new coastal construction visible from the beach to meet wildlife-friendly specifications. "We're proposing to update it to 30% (visible light transmitted) at the recommendation of the Sea Turtle Conservancy," Bridal Berry said during the meeting. "We will require an inspection prior to certificate of occupancy for new coastal construction that is visible from the beach."

The draft borrows heavily from the state model lighting ordinance and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission (FWC) certified wildlife lighting program. Key proposed changes include: defining "long wavelength" as a wavelength of about 560 nanometers or greater; shifting from a 45% BLT (visible light transmitted) threshold recommended in the state model to a 30% BLT threshold for new coastal construction based on Sea Turtle Conservancy research; requiring full-cutoff fixtures for new exterior installations; extending standards to pools, spas and accessory decks (including horizontally-mounted underwater fixtures that are not directly or indirectly visible from the beach); and treating temporary or…