Several sea turtle nests disturbed on the Space Coast over holiday weekend

Officials investigate tampered sea turtle nests on Cocoa Beach

Wildlife officials are investigating after four marked sea turtle nests were disturbed on Cocoa Beach, an act that violates Florida law.

BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. - The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) received a report from the Sea Turtle Preservation Society after multiple stakes were moved from turtle nests over the weekend. 

Turtle advocates are calling what happened a frustrating and blatant disregard for the law. In Florida, tampering with a sea turtle nest or its eggs is a serious crime that can result in hefty fines and jail time.

What Happened:

On Memorial Day, volunteers with the Sea Turtle Preservation Society (STPS) discovered that someone had ripped marking stakes right out of the sand. The stakes were left behind, scattered near the dunes like goalposts, leaving volunteers completely in the dark as to where the actual nests were located.

The stakes were placed in South Cocoa Beach around Crescent Drive off A1A to protect nests that volunteers had been tracking for weeks.

The markers are highly visible, featuring bright yellow warning cards that explicitly state the area is protected.

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"You’re not supposed to touch those stakes, you know," said STPS volunteer Melanie Hagen.

Joel Cohen, the Director of Communications for the Sea Turtle Preservation Society, expressed disbelief over the vandalism.

"How you don’t see it or don’t read it or don’t care—I don’t understand," Cohen said. "When a human does it, it’s a little bit more frustrating, and especially when there’s a big yellow sign, and it’s a felony."

Under Florida law, messing with a sea turtle nest or eggs carries a penalty of up to 60 days in jail and a $500 fine, with potential for harsher federal felony charges depending on the severity of the disturbance and what type of turtles were tampered with.

Concerns for turtle volunteers

Following the discovery on Tuesday morning, STPS volunteers spent hours digging in the hot sand, desperately trying to locate the exact spots where the eggs were buried. Without the stakes, finding them is difficult.
"We just have our fingers crossed," Hagen said.

Because the sand has shifted and time has passed, the natural clues that volunteers use to identify a nest are completely gone.

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"Once the nests are covered over like that, you don’t have the visibility and the characteristics you would have when you first spot it," Hagen explained.

Without proper marking, these vulnerable nests are now at high risk of being stepped on by beachgoers, crushed by heavy equipment, or dug up by predators.

How to help

What you can do:

Authorities and conservationists are asking the public to step up to ensure these nests remain protected.

If you were in the South Cocoa Beach area near Crescent Drive over the holiday weekend and saw anything suspicious, or if you have video footage of the area, you are urged to reach out to the Sea Turtle Preservation Society or the FWC.

Who to call

• To report tips or suspicious activity: Contact the FWC’s Wildlife Alert Hotline at 888-404-FWCC (888-404-3922).
• If you see someone actively disturbing a nest, call the hotline immediately or contact local law enforcement.