Category: Beaches - The County Insider

The County Insider

Turtle Talk Tuesday: Sea Turtle Nest Excavation

6/24/2025

6/24/25 @ 4:00 p.m.

It's turtle nesting season! From May 1st - October 31st each year, sea turtles visit Amelia Island beaches to nest, and it's up to all of us to make their visit as safe as possible! Every Tuesday, we will provide you with fascinating facts about our local turtle population and what is being done to protect them.

For today’s Turtle Talk Tuesday, we’re sharing a special video of a sea turtle excavation from 2021. Every morning during nesting season, volunteers from the Amelia Island Sea Turtle Watch patrol the beaches, searching for signs that a turtle has come ashore to nest. Once a nest is discovered, it’s carefully marked and roped off for protection.

Volunteers check on the nest daily throughout the incubation period — typically 50–60 days. After the hatchlings emerge, they return to excavate the nest, releasing any hatchlings that didn’t make it out on their own and counting the hatched and unhatched eggshells.

If you’ve never seen a sea turtle excavation up close, it’s truly an unforgettable experience! 🐣 Visit the Amelia Island Sea Turtle Watch website to locate the latest excavation schedule.

🎥 Video credit: Amelia Island Convention & Visitors Bureau

-Sabrina Robertson
Communications Officer

Turtle Talk Tuesday: Early Season Brings Two Rare Species

6/10/2025

6/10/25 @ 6:00 a.m. - For our latest Turtle Talk Tuesday, we shared a message from Mary Duffy, President of the Amelia Island Sea Turtle Watch, sharing early season activities which include locating two rare species.

From Mary Duffy:
"Sea turtle nesting on Amelia Island in 2025 has been steady since it started on April 30. We have a total of 47 nests on the island. Four are located on Ft Clinch property, and 43 are scattered along the AISTW beach to the south end state park. It is exciting to report that in addition to our family of loggerheads, we are sporting a leatherback nest and a green turtle nest!

The leatherback nest was laid in the project area and was therefore relocated. When we say it takes a village to relocate a leatherback nest, we mean it takes many people to locate the eggs and then more people to dig the new nest cavity. Thirteen AISTW permitted volunteers were involved in both stages. After about an hour of digging, the clutch was finally located. The top egg was found 27 inches down. The cavity that contained the eggs was another 11 inches down with a width of 15 inches.

After locating the eggs in the original nest, they were carefully placed into buckets for transport. Viable leatherback eggs are the size of a billiard ball. To ensure the larger eggs have enough oxygen to develop, female leatherbacks will also deposit what are called “spacer eggs”. These eggs, actually calcium deposits, are of a variety of sizes. This ensures the creation of pockets of air inside the cavity for successful development.

The receiving nest cavity is carefully measured to fashion the original cavity. Once the cavity has been measured and formed, the eggs are carefully placed inside. The last eggs out of the original cavity will be returned to the bottom of the new site.

Nest relocation is very laborious. It’s a good thing the green turtle nest was not in the project area, and AISTW personnel only had to mark off the site!

It may not be a big season in terms of the number of nests, but it certainly is proving to be interesting."

The Board of County Commissioners commends the AISTW for all their hard work and dedication.

-Sabrina Robertson
Communications Officer

Turtle Talk Tuesday: Leave Nothing But Footprints

6/3/2025

6/3/25 @ 6:00 a.m.

It's turtle nesting season! From May 1st - October 31st each year, sea turtles visit Amelia Island beaches to nest, and it's up to all of us to make their visit as safe as possible! During this turtle nesting season, we are introducing "Turtle Talk Tuesday". Every Tuesday, we will provide you with facts about our local turtle population and what is being done to protect them.

Week Five: Leave Nothing But Footprints
Today, we would like to discuss the County's Leave No Trace Ordinance adopted in 2016. Nassau County’s Leave No Trace Ordinance (Ordinance No. 2016-06) prohibits personal property from being left unattended on Atlantic Beaches within the unincorporated areas of Amelia Island (Peters Point south to the State Park). Any personal items left unattended after 8:00 p.m. will be removed and destroyed. The City of Fernandina Beach has adopted a similar ordinance for City beaches (Peters Point north to Ft. Clinch) so there’s an island-wide effort to keep our beaches clean and safe for nesting sea turtles

In Nassau County, we encourage you to leave nothing but your footprints. Be sure to remove any and all items before leaving the beach. This includes all beach gear, beach furniture, toys, shoes, fishing gear, garbage, etc. Thank you for helping us keep our beaches clean for nesting sea turtles and their hatchlings.

-Sabrina Robertson
Communications Officer

Turtle Talk Tuesday: Keep It Flat

5/27/2025

5/27/25 @ 8:45 a.m. -

As you may know, it's turtle nesting season! From May 1st - October 31st each year, sea turtles visit Amelia Island beaches to nest, and it's up to all of us to make their visit as safe as possible! During this turtle nesting season, we are introducing "Turtle Talk Tuesday". Every Tuesday, we will provide you with facts about our local turtle population and what is being done to protect them.

Week Four: Keep It Flat!

We all love to dig holes at the beach, however did you know that holes can be a danger to both people and sea turtles? People who are walking or running on the beach may not notice the hole and could be injured from falling in. Large holes also create dangerous obstacles that beach rovers and lifeguards must navigate around. Not only does it slow response time, it creates a hazard for their vehicles as well. For sea turtles, these large holes can cause death as nesting sea turtles and their hatchlings can get stuck with no way out. Turtles stuck after sunrise are very likely to die. Enjoy your time at the beach but when you're done, please be sure to fill in your holes before you go.

-Sabrina Robertson
Communications Officer

Beach Flag System and Water Conditions

5/23/2025

5/23/25 @ 12:15 p.m. - Fernandina Beach Ocean Rescue sent out this important reminder regarding the beach flag warning system and what the different colored flags mean. Learning their meaning before you hit the beach to keep yourself and your family safe.

Know Before You Go!

It’s Beach Safety Week! Our beach flag warning system keeps you informed about water conditions to help keep you safe. Make a habit of knowing the flag colors (and their meaning) before you hit the beaches!

red dangerous conditions - high surf
yellow - medium hazard - moderate surf
purple - stinging marine life
double red - water closed to the public

Fernandina Beach Ocean Rescue provides lifeguard services for Amelia Island beaches, including those in the County limits, through a mutual aid agreement. We appreciate all they do to keep residents and visitors safe.

-Sabrina Robertson
Communications Officer

2nd Annual Opening of the Beaches

5/19/2025

5/19/25 @ 3:45 p.m. - The 2nd Annual Opening of the Beaches was held on Saturday, May 17, 2025, along with the Wild Amelia Nature Festival. Hundreds of guests enjoyed food and beverages, nature and animal exhibits, live music, games and dancing. One lucky couple even got engaged! The weather was beautiful and although it was hot, guests were able to get shade in our air conditioned Vision 2050 tent and under a large, inflatable tent with fans.

We are grateful to everyone who came out to celebrate with us! We are also grateful to the Parks & Recreation Department for coordinating Opening of the Beaches and for all their hard work setting up and breaking down the event. And a big thank you to the many volunteers with Keep Nassau Beautiful for all their hard work in coordinating the Wild Amelia Nature Festival. This annual event teaches residents about our local ecosystem and all the wonderful creatures that inhabit it. Not only is it very informative, it's always fun to see live animals such as bats, bunnies, possums and more!

-Sabrina Robertson
Communications Officer

Turtle Talk Tuesday: Week Three

5/19/2025

05/20/25 @ 6:00 a.m.-

May 1st marked the beginning of sea turtle nesting season. Mama sea turtles have begun making their way to our Florida beaches to lay their eggs. It is important that we all do our part to protect nesting sea turtles and their hatchlings.

Week Three
Keep the beaches dark. Sea turtles, especially hatchlings, use the darkness and the light reflection from the ocean to navigate. Artificial lighting can mistakenly be perceived as the moon's lighting on the ocean and can lead the sea turtles away from the water and potentially towards danger.

Nassau County Code, Section 37.07, Beachfront Lighting Restrictions, was created to safeguard nesting mothers and their hatchlings. Failure to comply could result in a fine.

Avoid flash photography which can be disturbing and harmful to see turtles
Replace white porch lights with turtle safe lighting found at your local hardware store
Eliminate, turn off, redirect or shield lights that can be seen from the beach surface
Install timers and/or motion detectors and set the timer to 5 minutes or less for areas where light is needed
Keep pool and cabana lights off
Apply dark window tinting or draw curtains/blinds after dark
Avoid using flashlights on the beach at night. Instead, use turtle safe flashlights found at your local hardware store.

-Sabrina Robertson
Communications Officer

Opening of the Beaches is Tomorrow

5/16/2025

5/16/25 @ 9:00 a.m.

It's finally time for our Second Annual Opening of the Beaches Event! Taking place tomorrow, Saturday, May 17, 2025, this event will feature a variety of activities for all ages and interests. Below is a breakdown of everything taking place.

MAIN BEACH from 10am-7pm
Food trucks, kid's activities , live music and the Vision 2050 tent. Also at Main Beach from 10am-3pm is the Wild Amelia Nature Festival featuring a Children's Entrepreneur's Market, live animals, and exhibits that focus on Nassau County's diverse ecosystem and creatures that inhabit them.

Music Schedule:
10:30 a.m. - Laid Back
12:15 p.m. - Brian Ernst
1:45 p.m. - The Sean McCarthy Band
3:30 p.m. - Gilberto '77
5:30 p.m. - The Honey Badgers

Food Trucks on site: Rosita's Latin Flavor, Eadtery, Jax Taco Truck, Kaleidoscope, Philly Boyz Cheesesteaks, King of Pops and Mr. Softee Ice Cream

PETERS POINT from 10am-4pm
Food trucks, vendors market and a DJ

Food Truck on site: Raphael's Italian Pizzeria, Sup Dawg, Mariah's Lemonade, and Kona Ice

We can't wait to celebrate with everyone tomorrow!

-Sabrina Robertson
Communications Officer

Turtle Talk Tuesday: Sea Turtle Nesting on Amelia Island

5/13/2025

5/13/25 @ 6:00 am.

Sea turtle nesting season takes places annually from May 1st to October 31st. During this time, we will share week messages regarding sea turtles and what is being done to protect them.

Week Two:
Mary Duffy, Executive Director for the Amelia Island Sea Turtle Watch, has provided a beginning of the season update. Please see below.

"Turtle season 2025 has started off with a bang. Historically, the island’s first nest occurs around Mother’s Day. This year, all species have started nesting earlier throughout the state. Amelia Island’s first nest in 2025 was April 30! The earliest nest recorded was in 2013, on April 29. Prior to 2013, the turtles arrived during the first and second weeks of May. FWC (Fish and Wildlife Commission) has no definite reason other than the speculation that temperature changes might be getting them started earlier. At any rate, the nesting season has begun.

Beach renourishment is alive and well on our island and around the state. In 2021, the South Amelia Island Shore Stabilization Association (SAISSA) conducted a project on the south end of Amelia Island during nesting season. Also, each winter, the Navy contracts the Army Corps of Engineers (ACE) to perform a maintenance dredge of the St. Mary’s River Channel. Material dredged from the channel is placed on the north end of the island in an arrangement with the Navy, the ACE, and the City of Fernandina Beach. This maintenance dredge is not considered beach renourishment because the purpose of the work is to maintain the width and depth of the channel for the navy submarines. The sand that comes from the channel is considered sand deposition. There are no requirements for AISTW to monitor the beach during this maintenance dredge work because it is outside of nesting season.

As the 2025 nesting season begins, we have another project happening on the island. This project is also coordinated by the Army Corps of Engineers (ACE), and is considered renourishment because the borrow pit is south of the jetties and will not affect the channel used for submarines. It is a project that was funded several years ago but was postponed due to Covid. The purpose is to restore the beach after impact from numerous hurricanes. When the project begins, sand will be pumped onto the island beginning about 2 blocks north of Dolphin Street at Main Beach and will travel south to access 24, south of Sadler Rd. As with the project on the south end in 2021, AISTW is monitoring and relocating nests from the impacted area.

Mother’s Day brought the first nest to the project area and was relocated to a safe location.

AISTW has identified areas of the island where nests are safe from lights, vehicles, and normal erosion. This and future nests from the path of the project will be carefully dug up, carried to the new location, and carefully reburied. A new cavity is dug and designed to replicate (as much as possible) the original nest cavity. Sand from the original nest is used to line the new nest because it contains body fluid from the mother turtle. AISTW permitted volunteers are trained to dig up and relocate the eggs.

This is the only condition under which relocation can occur based on the AISTW permit issued by FWC and the US Fish and Wildlife Service (MTP 088). Nest relocation is considered by FWC to be a viable solution to issues created by such projects occurring during nesting season.

Hopefully, the turtles will choose less active and quieter places on the island to nest once construction is fully underway. This is another example of how adaptable these ancient mariners have proven to be."

Thank you, Mary, for this very exciting and informative update. We look forward to hearing more as the season goes on.

-Sabrina Robertson
Communications Officer

2nd Annual Opening of the Beaches

5/12/2025

5/12/25 @ 10:00 a.m.

We're less than a week away from our 2nd Annual Opening of the Beaches Event! Taking place on Saturday, May 17th, this event has something for everyone.

Featured at Main Beach from 10am-7pm will be kids activities, live music, food trucks, and a beer garden. We will also have the Vision 2050 tent where you can see a draft of the Vision 2050, a long-range plan that will guide growth, policies and programs for the next 25 years. From surveys to pop-up events all over the community, the County has spent nearly two years collecting feedback from the community to draft this plan which reflects the community's shard priorities for a vibrant, high quality future in Nassau County.

Also featured at Main Beach from 10am-3pm will be the Annual Wild Amelia Nature Festival featuring a Children's Entrepreneur's Market, live animals and exhibits that focus on Nassau County's diverse ecosystem and the creatures that inhabit them.

Taking place at Peters Point from 10am-4pm will be Markets by Mariah, food trucks and a DJ playing your favorite tunes.

Full details including band schedules, food trucks featured and more, please visit our event page at: nassaufl.co/2025BeachesEvent.