By Sergio Piedra, Discover The Palm Beaches
They’re some of our most recognizable return visitors.
Long before we had oceanfront resorts, world-class attractions, and a thriving arts and culture scene, sea turtles have been making their way back to our shores.
Every year, every nesting season. No marketing campaign, not even a visitor guide. Just pure instinct, moonlight and sand on a familiar coastline.
That’s why The Palm Beaches recently being named the Sea Turtle Capital of Florida is more than a new title. For Discover The Palm Beaches, Palm Beach County’s official destination marketing organization, it’s a responsibility we take seriously.
Our 47 miles of stunning coastline act as working natural habitats. They serve as one of the most vital sea turtle nesting areas in the country, supporting roughly 25% of Florida’s nests and sending about 2 million hatchlings from our sand back to the ocean each year.
That’s an environmental asset, and an important part of what defines the Palm Beaches itself, so it influences how we care for our shoreline.
There’s also another case to be made, one that can sound a bit unbelievable: Sea turtles are good for our local economy.
Not because we should treat them as attractions in the traditional sense, but because protecting sea turtles also protects the very experience people travel here to find.
Clean beaches, healthy dunes, responsible lighting and careful coastal stewardship are part of what makes the Palm Beaches worth visiting year after year.
And when visitors and residents connect with sea turtles in meaningful, responsible ways, through conservation partners, nature centers, guided programs or educational experiences, they can make a day of it.
For example, they can enjoy a morning at Loggerhead Marinelife Center, lunch nearby, visit local shops and explore other attractions.
It’s nature-powered economic development, driven by tourism. One more reason why “Tourism Shines in The Palm Beaches.”
The Sea Turtle Capital of Florida is more than a new designation we’re proud of – it’s a promise to protect critical nesting habitats. It’s also a commitment to support the nature centers, local governments, volunteers and conservation partners doing the work, from Loggerhead Marinelife Center to Gumbo Limbo Nature Center to MacArthur Beach State Park and more.
Because in the Palm Beaches some visitors arrive by plane or car. Others come out of the ocean, arriving quietly by moonlight.
Sergio Piedra is associate vice-president, intergovernmental affairs for Discover The Palm Beaches. Find out why we’re the Sea Turtle Capital of Florida. Learn more about sustainability in The Palm Beaches. Banner photo: A green sea turtle on a beach (FWC photo by Blair Witherington, CC BY-ND 2.0, via flickr). For a video on “Sustainability in The Palm Beaches,” click below.