Florida’s Sea Turtle Nest Numbers Break Records, But Dangers Continue to Surface

Florida saw a record number of sea turtle nests in 2023 despite Hurricane Idalia, beach erosion, and other environmental threats. Loggerheads, the most common sea turtle in the United States, created 134,040 nests in Florida this year, outpacing the record from 2016. Green turtles had 76,645 nests, which broke the previous record from 2017. Leatherbacks, the largest sea turtle worldwide, which can weigh over a ton at peak maturity, accounted for 1,711 nests. Kemp’s Ridley turtles, the rarest in the United States, only had 10 nests across Florida in 2023. While states like North Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, and South Carolina also had high numbers of turtle nests, they did not break historical records like Florida. There are three other sea turtle species worldwide: hawksbill, olive Ridley, and Australian flatbacks. ...