Members,
Palm Beach County has instituted rules for Turtle Lighting, along with corrective actions and fines for violators. The club will be passing on to members who violate the rules any fines incurred by the Club and/or associated corrective action. A Rental Agreement Turtle Lighting Addendum has been created and is in effect immediately. The statements below, from Article 14, show the rules for all members using the club during Turtle Season (March 1 through October 31).
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[Ord. 2005-002] - Open fires on the beach shall be prohibited during Sea Turtle Nesting season. (Permits are required in Jupiter Inlet Colony.)
Sec. 74-223. - Shielding of light.
All oceanfront property owners are required to ensure that no artificial light shall illuminate any area of the beach or water that may be used by nesting sea turtles and hatchlings. In order to accomplish this, the town requires that all lighting shall be positioned or shielded so that light is not visible from the beach or water during the period from March 1 through October 31 of each year.
Sec. 74-225. - Violation; penalty.
Failure to comply with any provision of this division shall constitute a violation. The individual cited for violation shall be the property owner responsible for placement and/or maintenance of lights on the property. Each property owner in violation of this division shall be notified of the violation by the town's code enforcement officer or his authorized representative, and each offense shall be punishable by a civil fine in accordance with the following schedule:
If violators do not comply they may be issued a notice of hearing to appear before the County’s Groundwater and Natural Resources Protection Board (GNRPB). The GNRPB is the entity which assesses fines which shall not exceed 1,000 dollars per day for a first violation and shall not exceed 5,000 dollars per day for a repeat violation. For violations deemed irreparable or irreversible by the GNRPB, the GNRPB may impose a fine not to exceed 15,000 dollars per violation, pursuant to F.S. 162.09 as may be amended.
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