Posted on April 16, 2025
Visitors to Fort Myers Beach may encounter yellow caution tape as crews prepare the shoreline for turtle nesting season.
“They’re planning on sectioning 500-foot sections of shoreline to till,” said Chadd Chustz, the town’s environmental project manager. “Once they’re done with that 500 feet, they’ll then open up the next space and close it off in 500-foot increments.”
Turtle nesting season is just around the corner on Fort Myers Beach, with the official start set for May 1. However, locals know that nests can appear as early as mid-April.
The caution tape signals that heavy equipment is nearby, as the beach undergoes necessary maintenance.
“We are tilling the beach meeting our FDP requirements,” Chustz said. “It loosens up that sand.”
The reason behind this is the Fort Myers Beach renourishment project has left the sand densely packed.
“They put out the sand in a slurry, so the sand is really compact,” Chustz explained. “That’s great for protecting us from the storms, but for sea turtles, they like it nice and loose so that they can lay their nest.”
“It makes it like a tarmac out here,” said Rob Howell, a naturalist with the Pink Shell Resort and the Fort Myers Beach Marine & Environmental Resources Task Force.
Howell explained sea turtles require soft sand to dig a chamber for their eggs, usually a foot or two deep.
“If they can’t dig down into the sand, it could be very bad for them,” Howell said. “They need to be able to have nice, fluffy sand.”
Ensuring suitable nesting conditions is crucial for these endangered animals.
“They’re an endangered species,” Howell said. “These turtles have been hunted by people for decades, and our activities in the oceans are still hurting them now. They deserve a chance.”
Crews will work daily, moving down the beach in 500-foot increments from the north end of the island. The work started Tuesday near Bowditch Park.
The project is expected to finish by April 30.
