Florida’s Leatherback Sea Turtles Rebound To Record High, Following Devastating Hurricane Season

Florida’s Leatherback Sea Turtles Rebound To Record High, Following Devastating Hurricane Season

Florida’s Leatherback Sea Turtles Rebound To Record High, Following Devastating Hurricane Season In August 2024, sea turtles were on track to shatter records for nesting season across Florida’s Atlantic and Gulf coasts.  Local experts even expected 2024 to surpass 2023, when 200,000 nests were counted statewide — breaking a previous record that stretched back to 1989.  Then a trio of hurricanes hit in quick succession, as Hurricanes Debby, Helene, and Milton tore through Florida in the span of two months.  The unrelenting disasters caused catastrophic damage and significant flooding, with Helene marking the second-deadliest hurricane in half a century.  When hurricane season finally came to a close in late November, it was evident that Florida’s sea turtles — many of which are endangered — suffered from the storms. Despite a promising hatching season, hundreds of loggerhead, leatherback, and green turtle nests were washed away in the destruction.  Kristen Mazzarella, the turtle watch direct…