Florida's loggerhead sea turtles set preliminary nesting record

Florida's loggerhead sea turtles have set a preliminary statewide nesting record, with 136,972 nests counted as of Aug. 31, surpassing the previous high of 134,930 nests set in 2023, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. The FWC cautioned that the figures are preliminary and must be verified before 2026 can be officially confirmed as a record year.

The loggerhead total headlines a remarkable season across Florida's beaches. Leatherbacks would also set a statewide record with 2,209 nests if the count holds up in final review, green turtles logged 50,815 nests, and the state recorded its first confirmed olive ridley nest, which the FWC called one of the season's most remarkable discoveries. Because Florida hosts the vast majority of loggerhead nesting in the United States, the numbers carry significance well beyond the state's shoreline.

The numbers by species

The preliminary statewide totals compiled by the FWC's Fish and Wildlife Research Institute break down as follows:

Loggerheads, the most common sea turtle on Florida beaches, nest along nearly every stretch of the state's sandy coastline, with the heaviest concentrations on the Atlantic coast from Brevard County south through Palm Beach County. Green turtles, once rare in Florida, have rebounded dramatically over recent decades, and their nest counts tend to swing sharply between years because individual females typically nest every two to four years.

Leatherbacks, the largest sea turtles in the world, nest primarily on Florida's southeast Atlantic beaches and begin earlier in the year than other species. Kemp's ridleys, which nest mostly in Mexico and Texas, appear only occasionally in Florida. Fifteen Kemp's ridley nests were confirmed statewide this year, according to the FWC.

How the counts are made

Florida's sea turtle nest counts come from a network of trained surveyors, including FWC staff, local governments, universities, conservation groups and permitted volunteers, who walk or drive beaches at dawn during the nesting season to record new crawls and nests. The FWC coordinates two main programs: the Statewide Nesting Beach Survey, which aims to document the total number of nests across the state, and the Index Nesting Beach Survey, which uses standardized methods on a subset of beaches to track long-term trends.

That structure is why the FWC labels mid-season totals as preliminary. Survey data are submitted by dozens of beach programs, then reviewed for errors, duplicate entries and misidentified crawls before the agency finalizes the annual figures. Final numbers sometimes shift modestly from the preliminary count.

Scientists caution that a single year's nest count is not the same as a population estimate. Females do not nest every year, and environmental conditions such as ocean temperatures and food availability at foraging grounds can influence how many turtles return to nest in a given season. Long-term trends, measured over a decade or more, give a better picture of whether a population is truly recovering.

Florida's role in loggerhead recovery

Florida's beaches are among the most important loggerhead nesting grounds on Earth. The Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge, which stretches along about 20 miles of coastline in Brevard and Indian River counties, was established in the 1990s specifically to protect one of the densest loggerhead nesting areas in the Western Hemisphere. Beaches in Palm Beach, Martin and St. Lucie counties also host heavy nesting each summer.

The 2026 total, if confirmed, would continue a string of strong seasons. The 2023 record of 134,930 loggerhead nests was itself celebrated by researchers as a conservation milestone. Loggerhead nest counts in Florida dipped for a period in the late 1990s and 2000s, raising alarm among scientists, before turning upward again in the following decade. That history is one reason researchers emphasize long-term monitoring over any single season.

For coastal communities, healthy nesting numbers also carry practical consequences. Beach renourishment projects, coastal construction and even beach cleaning operations are typically timed or modified to avoid disturbing nests, and permits for work on the sand often include sea turtle protection conditions. A record season means more marked nests for local governments, contractors and beachgoers to work around.

The turtles are also part of Florida's tourism identity. Guided turtle walks, offered under special permits on several Atlantic coast beaches during the peak of the season, let visitors watch nesting females under strict rules, and nature centers and marine science facilities from the Panhandle to the Keys draw visitors interested in sea turtle rehabilitation and research.

Local records, including Volusia County

The statewide numbers reflect strong seasons at the local level. Volusia County recorded its 1,517th sea turtle nest on July 22 in Daytona Beach Shores, breaking the countywide record of 1,516 nests set during the 2023 season, according to county officials and Central Florida news reports. By June 11, Volusia had already counted 695 nests, far ahead of the 444 nests it had recorded by the same date in 2023.

Volusia's beaches host loggerheads, green turtles and leatherbacks, and county officials reported five Kemp's ridley nests this season. Because nesting continued after the record was set, the county's final total is expected to be higher.

On the Gulf Coast, the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation reported a record-breaking loggerhead nesting season on Sanibel in late July, a notable result for an island still recovering from the damage Hurricane Ian caused in 2022.

A first for Florida: the olive ridley

Perhaps the most surprising entry in this year's data is a single olive ridley nest, the first confirmed in Florida. Olive ridleys are among the most abundant sea turtles in the world, but they nest mainly on tropical beaches in the Pacific and Indian oceans and along parts of West Africa and northeastern South America. They are rarely seen on Florida's coast.

Researchers say one nest does not signal a trend, but it is the kind of observation scientists track closely as ocean conditions change. Shifts in water temperatures and currents can influence where sea turtles forage and nest over time.

Why the record matters, and what still threatens turtles

All sea turtle species that nest in Florida are protected under the federal Endangered Species Act and state law, and it is illegal to harm, harass or disturb turtles, their nests or hatchlings. Conservationists credit decades of protections, including turtle excluder devices on shrimp trawls, beach lighting ordinances and nest monitoring, with helping loggerhead and green turtle numbers rebound from historic lows.

Even so, threats remain. Artificial lighting near the beach can disorient hatchlings, drawing them toward roads and parking lots instead of the ocean. Coastal erosion and storms can wash away nests, and beach armoring such as seawalls can reduce the dry sand turtles need. Coastal development, marine debris, fishing gear entanglement and vessel strikes all add to the pressure.

Rising temperatures are a longer-term concern. A sea turtle's sex is determined by the temperature of the sand during incubation, with warmer nests producing more females. Scientists are studying whether persistently hot beaches could skew sex ratios in Florida populations.

Late-season storms are a near-term risk as well. In late September, the FWC urged beachgoers not to touch hatchlings that had washed back onto shore, advising them instead to contact the agency so trained responders could help, according to Central Florida news reports.

How Floridians can help

Residents and visitors play a major role in whether nests succeed. Wildlife officials and conservation groups recommend these steps during nesting season:

• Turn off or shield outdoor lights visible from the beach at night, and close curtains in beachfront homes and hotel rooms.
• Leave no trace: remove chairs, umbrellas, tents and toys at the end of the day, since they can block nesting females and trap hatchlings.
• Fill in holes and knock down sandcastles before leaving the beach.
• Do not use flashlights or phone lights on the beach at night, and never take flash photos of nesting turtles or hatchlings.
• Keep a respectful distance from marked nests and never touch turtles, eggs or hatchlings.
• Report injured, dead or disoriented turtles to the FWC Wildlife Alert Hotline at 888-404-3922.

Many coastal cities and counties have adopted sea turtle lighting ordinances that require beachfront properties to use turtle-friendly fixtures during nesting season. Homeowners and businesses can check with local code enforcement for specific rules.

What's next

Florida's nesting season generally runs from March through October, and hatchlings are still emerging from nests in some areas, particularly late-season green turtle nests. Beach surveyors will continue monitoring and excavating nests to measure hatching success after the hatchlings emerge.

The FWC is expected to finalize its 2026 nesting figures after the season ends and surveyors submit and verify their data. If the preliminary totals hold, 2026 will go into the record books as the best loggerhead and leatherback year on record in Florida.

Researchers will also be watching hatching success rates, which measure how many eggs in each nest produce hatchlings that reach the surface. A high nest count is only part of the story: storms, high tides, predators such as raccoons and coyotes, and lighting problems can all reduce the number of young turtles that make it to the water. Those results, compiled by local programs, help wildlife managers decide where to focus lighting enforcement, predator control and nest protection efforts in future seasons.

Beachgoers should continue following lighting and leave-no-trace practices through the end of October, and coastal residents can watch for county and city updates on final nest counts and hatching success in their communities.