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Sea turtles rescued from storm drain
A sea turtle rescue unfolded in an Indian Rocks Beach storm drain. The turtles appear to have been disoriented, likely by improper lighting. FOX 13's Jennifer Kveglis reports.
INDIAN ROCKS BEACH, Fla. - A storm drain along Gulf Boulevard became a rescue site Monday morning after multiple sea turtles ended up trapped inside.
Indian Rocks Beach turtle rescue
What we know:
Clearwater Marine Aquarium volunteers and a Pinellas County deputy found the turtles in the drain along Gulf Boulevard.
They believe the turtles may have become disoriented by improper lighting from a nearby beachfront property, causing them to travel away from the water and cross Gulf Boulevard.
Witnesses watch rescue effort
The backstory:
Rescuers safely returned the turtles to the shore after rescuing them from the drain.
Bystander CC Pond spotted the rescue while heading to a nearby home and photographed the operation.
She noted how dangerous artificial lights are for nesting and hatchling turtles. "They exhaust themselves. It's sad, so we need to turn off the lights and respect May through October for these huge turtles," Pond said.
Beachfront lighting rules
What they're saying:
Indian Rocks Beach Mayor Lan Vaughn says Clearwater Marine Aquarium audited the city's shorelines this year to help identify properties that were not following turtle-lighting rules.
The city issued 82 code violation letters to properties with improper lighting. Those property owners were given 30 days to comply.
Vaughn says the city is also working with Duke Energy on a program to test its lighting and make sure the lights meet turtle-compliance standards.
"We need to do this for the generations to come," Vaughn said.
Rescued turtles returned safely
What we don't know:
Clearwater Marine Aquarium could not confirm the exact number of sea turtles pulled from the drain due to state wildlife protocols.
Officials have not identified which specific beachfront property produced the disorienting lights.
CMA says the turtles that were found were safely returned to the shore.
The Source: FOX 13 spoke with Clearwater Marine Aquarium volunteers, Indian Rocks Beach Mayor Lan Vaughn and witness CC Pond. Information about the turtle rescues and the city's lighting efforts came from those interviews and the Clearwater Marine Aquarium's response.