Florida Coastal Conservancy

08/29/2026

08/26/2026

Our turtles have been keeping us on our toes this season! It's been a very long time since we've given an update, but we're back with a snapshot of what's been happening...
The bad news first: an early June storm and Tropical Storm Bertha hit our beach hard, and the majority of our nests were lost to high surf conditions.
Now the great news: we have broken our 18 year record with a whopping 292 nests laid on our six mile stretch of beach!
We still have many viable nests remaining, and with so much loss, it is even more important to do our part for the hatchlings still to come. Please keep up the good work of keeping it clean, flat, and dark out there!

07/12/2026

Our momma turtles have been keeping us busy: we're now up to 228 nests on our stretch of beach, including our first two green nests, a rare species for us. Hoping for our first hatch any day now... These amazing, hard-working Volunteers are looking forward to welcoming thousands of tiny turtles to the world! Keep on keeping it clean, flat, and dark out there!

*All work conducted by Authorized Personnel under FL Marine Turtle Permit 094.*

07/04/2026

Wishing everyone a very happy Independence Day! We have now welcomed 191 nests on our six-mile stretch of beach. We thank our holiday beach-goers for doing such a great job of keeping our beach clean, flat, and dark for our visiting momma turtles. We have several more weeks of nesting to go, and our first nests will start hatching soon...keep up the good work out there making this a safe place for all who share the shore.
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06/23/2026

Our nesting season is going strong with so many momma turtles coming ashore nightly! Did you know you can adopt or sponsor a nest to help support our sea turtles?

🐢Adoptions are $50 and include a personalized sign on your nest.
🐢 Sponsorships are $25 and are a shared nest with other sponsoring families.

Once your nest is assigned we will send a photo of your nest along with an adoption or sponsorship certificate.
At the end of the season we will send an update with your nest results and results of the season overall.

They make a great gift for those who have everything, AND they support our local sea turtle conservation efforts!

Visit us online at https://floridacc.org/ways-to-help/ or at the Forgotten Coast Sea Turtle Center to adopt or sponsor!

06/13/2026

It's been a super busy week on our beach as we welcomed nests 050, 060, 070, and beyond...we're now hosting 76 nests on our six mile survey stretch! So far so good, as all these momma turtles had safe journeys on clean, flat, and dark shorelines. Please keep up the great work out there, and remind our new visitors arriving this week that it's up to all of us to ensure a successful season for many more turtles to come. We THANK YOU for all you do to help us help them!🐢👏🎉

05/25/2026

It's the day after our 10th Annual Forgotten Coast Sea Turtle Festival, and we are over the moon!🌛 Many thanks to our wonderful attendees, vendors, sponsors, and volunteers for making this year's event a huge success! We saw beautiful artwork🎨; tasted delicious treats🌭; listened to great music🎶; and, most of all, learned about and celebrated all things turtle. 🐢 We extend special thanks to the City of Port St. Joe and the Village at Marina Cove Owners' Association for providing such a beautiful setting for this event. We look forward to welcoming you back next year - mark your calendars for the 11th Annual Forgotten Coast Sea Turtle Festival, Sunday, May 30, 2027!

05/21/2026

Thank you to Riley Lehman and the team at WMBB News 13 for helping to spread the word about sea turtle nesting season! Our Volunteers will be working hard over the next six months to protect these precious visitors - please help us help them by keeping our beaches clean, flat, and dark!

GULF COUNTY, Fla. (WMBB) – Every morning at sunrise, members of the St. Joseph Peninsula Turtle Patrol walk the beach, looking for signs of new turtle crawls. They’ve been monitoring th…

05/19/2026

Nesting activity is ramping up on St. Joseph Peninsula! As we welcome more visitors to our beach - sea turtles and people - please remember to help do your part to keep it clean, flat, and dark out there. Tell your friends, neighbors, and renters about the importance of removing all beach equipment; leveling sand sculptures and filling holes, and turning lights off or using wildlife friendly red and amber lights.
We take pride in our beautiful coastline, and we appreciate all YOU do to make it a clean and safe environment!

*All work conducted by Authorized Personnel under FL Marine Turtle Permit 094.*

05/11/2026

While serving on detachment at Tyndall Air Force Base, Squadron VAQ-209 Sailors from Whidbey Island Naval Air Station in Washington State took time out of their busy schedule to perform some community service at the Forgotten Coast Sea Turtle Center in Port St. Joe. They assisted with a variety of projects to aid our resident turtle ambassadors and improve our facility. We extend our greatest thanks to this wonderful group for their service!