Florida’s sea turtle nesting season is only two months old, and the early numbers are already turning heads.
On May 13, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s Fish and Wildlife Research Institute said in a Facebook post: “The 2026 sea turtle nesting season is officially off and with a strong start! Loggerheads and leatherbacks are both currently outpacing their recent record-breaking years.”
The agency reported 1,008 leatherback nests, up 4 percent from May 2025. It also recorded three Kemp’s ridley nests, up by two from the same time last year.
Loggerhead nest numbers were far higher than at this point in 2025. The 2026 count had reached 1,450, about 82 percent higher than the same time last year.
“A huge thank you to the biologists, interns, volunteers, and permit holders who worked tirelessly to collect and report this data,” the FWC wrote. “Your dedication drives sea turtle conservation forward!”
After one local raised concerns about the lack of green sea turtle nests, the FWC said the species nests later in the season.
“Green turtles nest later in the summer, so we expect to start seeing green turtle nests around the end of May or beginning of June,” the organisation wrote.
In 2025, green sea turtles recorded 66,476 nests, making it the second-highest season on record. Leatherbacks set a new statewide record with 2,012 nests, topping the previous high of 1,848 in 2022.
Loggerheads remained “the dominant nester” in 2025 with 100,951 nests, which the FWC called “a strong showing across the state.”
Scientists had expected Florida to break nesting records in 2024, but Hurricanes Debby, Helene and Milton caused severe flooding and washed away many sea turtle nests across the state. The storms also dramatically reshaped beaches and destroyed dunes and nesting habitat for loggerhead, green and leatherback turtles.
Despite that damage, wildlife experts continued conservation and restoration work through the following year.
Florida’s sea turtle nesting season runs from March 1 through October 31. The FWC said: “We can’t wait to see how the rest of the season unfolds!”
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