Florida Aquarium rehabs 21 turtles as nesting season returns to state beaches

Sea turtle rehab at the Florida Aquarium

The Florida Aquarium is rehabilitating 21 turtles to return them to the wild so they can grow up to participate in nesting season. FOX 13's Briona Arradondo reports.

APOLLO BEACH, Fla. - At the Florida Aquarium Sea Turtle Rehabilitation Center, the current turtles are a little too young for nesting season, but the goal is to return them to the wild so they can give them the best shot at having babies of their own one day.

By the numbers:

Florida Fish and Wildlife tallied a record number of sea turtle nests in 2025 across 225 monitored beaches.

According to FWC, green turtles had a standout year with 66,476 nests, the second-highest season on record after 77,042 nests in 2023. In 2025, leatherback turtles set a new statewide record with 2,012 nests, breaking the previous high of 1,848 in 2022.

"We’ve always had a pretty good loggerhead population, but we are really excited that this year our green sea turtle population was actually removed from endangered species as being highly endangered to them, being a lesser concern of animal," Alyssa Fessett, the manager of the Florida Aquarium Sea Turtle Rehabilitation Center in Apollo Beach, said.

Why you should care:

The record number of nests is good news, but biologists said there’s still a lot of progress left to make.

"Sea turtles take a long time to mature. So, the things that happen to sea turtles now, we won’t necessarily see those impacts until 60 years from now," Fessett said.

While it’s taking shape, they said the key is continuing the conservation efforts for turtles in and out of nesting season.

"We’re seeing the benefits of it, and I want my kid to see the benefits when she’s an adult too," Fessett said.

Dig deeper:

On Wednesday, Fessett said the rehab center is currently caring for 20 cold-stunned turtles, and one turtle that was entangled in fishing line and had a partial amputation. Fessett says the entangled turtle is ready to be released soon.

"It can take anywhere from three months to a year depending on what they have going on," Fessett said, referring to how long the turtles are in their care. "Some of these turtles come in just a little bit skinny and maybe needing a little help with their bloodwork. Those are going to be the ones that get out quicker."

The workers are also treating turtles with eye issues or other injuries, so veterinarians from Florida Aquarium in Tampa will come to the rehab center to check up on the turtles. Sometimes, they require diagnostics and get CT scans at the University of South Florida.

What you can do:

Once the turtles are back in the wild, the hope is that these turtles will live long enough to reach nesting season.

Conservationists and biologists are reminding the public to do their part during nesting season while at the beach. 

"Remove anything from the beach that you brought with you. Also, filling in any divots in the sand or sandcastles, flattening them out to make the journeys out on the beach easier," Fessett said. 

Light can also disorient turtles, so the public is urged to be mindful of that. Nesting season lasts through October.