Commission continues St. Pete Beach lighting ordinance after experts and residents urge stronger turtle protections

The City Commission paused action on a rewritten beach‑lighting ordinance after more than an hour of expert testimony and public comment urging stronger protections for sea turtles and nesting shorebirds.

Planner Brandon Berry presented Ordinance 2025‑16, which would rename Division 44 of the land‑development code to "Marine Turtle and Coastal Wildlife Protection," adopt updated technical lighting standards consistent with the 2020 state model, require long‑wavelength lamps and full cutoff fixtures, add visible light transmittance (VLT) limits for glass visible from the beach, and specify enforcement and penalties. Berry said the draft follows state model language and was developed with input from the Beach Stewardship Committee and outside groups.

Sea Turtle Conservancy representative Stacy Gallagher told the commission the draft is a meaningful update to a 2007 standard but urged the city to adopt a 30% VLT rather than the currently adopted 45% because recent research shows 30% has a clearer effect on reducing disorientation and false crawls. “We do recommend that you go with a 30% or less transmittance,” she said. A National Wildlife Federation representative echoed the recommendation and praised added definitions for long wavelength and shielded lighting.

Local advocates described nests being flushed by fireworks and drone disturbances; Cindy Perry of St. Pete Audubon showed photos she said documented colony flushes of black skimmers and linked fireworks and drone activity to chick losses. A longtime volunteer, Joe Woodlansky, described shore-based shark fishers using bright spotlights that, he said, have increased in the last year and harmed nesting success. Several residents asked for clearer outreach and for hotels and resorts to participate in public‑education efforts and to consider simple mitigations (for example, providing turtle‑safe red flashlights to guests).

Commissioners discussed several technical and implementation questions: how visibility 'from the beach' is measured; whether the proposed rules would apply to condos, private homes and hotels; how to define and enforce transient handheld lighting (harassment vs. incidental flashlight use); and whether to align the city's VLT standard with Pinellas County and the state. Commissioners expressed interest in more direct outreach to condo owners and residents and wanted to avoid unintended enforcement against residents airing their windows at night.

After deliberation, the commission voted to continue the ordinance to a date certain, directing staff to return with clarified language on enforcement triggers, VLT language that references county/state thresholds, and plans for broader public outreach to hoteliers, condo owners and residents.

Next steps: staff will revise the ordinance language per the commission’s direction, incorporate expert recommendations where feasible, and schedule a continued hearing with a clearer outreach plan and enforcement guidance.