Bonita Springs sea‑turtle volunteers report 2025 nesting numbers, urge amber LED beach lighting

Eve Haberfield, representing Turtle Time, told the Bonita Springs City Council that volunteers recorded 187 sea‑turtle nests on Bonita Beach during the 2025 season, of which 186 were loggerhead nests and one was a green turtle nest. "We counted 17,386 eggs which resulted in 12,979 hatchlings," she said, describing a 75.7 percent hatch rate and noting that 386 false crawls and 17 disoriented nests contributed to hatchling loss.

Haberfield described causes of disorientation — street, house and construction lighting — and urged the city to "explore converting to amber LED lighting," which she said is "turtle friendly, it's energy efficient, It's cost effective and it's people friendly." She pointed to Fort Myers Beach as an example and said Representative Adam Botana helped secure funding there.

Haberfield also reviewed historical monitoring numbers for Bonita Beach and Big Hickory Island, noting a peak nesting year in 2022 and the program's plans to begin monitoring for the coming season on April 15. She gave a brief account of hatch outcomes: eight nests washed away, 29 flooded, and roughly 150 nests hatched; she cautioned that only one to four hatchlings per 1,000 reach adulthood.

Council members asked staff about estimates and jurisdictional responsibility for street lights; staff said the city does not yet have a firm cost estimate and that coordination with Lee County will be required where county right‑of‑way is involved. The presentation concluded with staff and volunteers committing to outreach and season preparations.

The council received the report; no formal vote was taken. Turtle Time said its monitoring and outreach will continue and the group encouraged the council to consider lighting policy changes before nesting season begins on April 15.