Loggerhead turtles accounted for the vast majority of nests, with 5,384 recorded.
A record number of sea turtle disorientations, 716 instances, were also documented this year.
Experts advise beach residents and visitors to turn off lights at night to help protect nesting turtles and hatchlings.
Mote’s Sea Turtle Conservation and Research Program documented a record number of sea turtle nests in the 2025 nesting season, with a record 5,735 total nests logged along 35 miles of Sarasota County beaches, from Longboat Key to Venice.
This marks the highest number of nests ever recorded in Mote’s 43-year monitoring history, far surpassing 2024’s 4,369 nests.
“The thing I’d like to stress about the sea turtles is we had a really good nesting and we had a record-breaking year,” Dr. Jake Lasala, Manager of Mote’s Sea Turtle Conservation and Research Program told the Herald-Tribune on Nov. 20.
Separately, in a prepared statement, he noted that the high numbers show that Mote’s conservation measures are working.
What turtle species had the most nests in Sarasota?
According to data collected by Mote, loggerhead turtles, a threatened species protected under the U.S. Endangered Species Act, accounted for 5,384 nests.
After that, green sea turtles accounted for 351 nests.
In years past, Kemp’s ridley and leatherback turtles have nested on Sarasota County beaches but not for 2025.
Sea turtle nesting season typically runs from April 15 to Oct. 31.
Sea turtle program staff, interns and more than 300 volunteers help collect long-term data essential to understanding population trends, reproductive success, and how both environmental and human factors impact nesting behavior.
Mote’s effort is one of the longest continuous monitoring programs in the U.S.
All Mote’s sea turtle activities are conducted under Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Permits 027, 028, 048, 054, 126, 216, 226, 155.
What else did this year’s sea turtle monitoring program show?
Lasala said that the robust nesting season also resulted in a high number of new turtles hatching, as well as a higher number of turtles that become disoriented because they mistake bright lights for moonlight.
Hatchling or nesting females heading to those lights can become exhausted and dehydrated or even die.
This year, Mote documented 716 instances of sea turtle disorientation — also a record number.
Beach furniture provides another obstacle that can hamper a turtle’s return to the Gulf.
While it’s possible to install turtle-friendly red or dark amber light, Lasala suggested an even simpler solution or those to live or vacation near the beach.
“The main thing we can do is turn off our lights,” Lasala said.
To learn more about joining Mote’s Sea Turtle Patrol or doing your part to keep sea turtles safe on area beaches, visit mote.org/seaturtles.
