Sea turtles like the sugar white sand beaches of Pensacola, Navarre, Fort Walton Beach, Destin, 30A as much as we do. They crawl onto the beach at night and lay their nests.
Unfortunately, artificial lights can discourage females from nesting. If a female fails to nest after multiple false crawls, she will end up resorting to poor nesting spots or deposit her eggs in the ocean. In either case, the survival outlook for hatchlings is not good. Hatchlings are naturally drawn towards light. Naturally, the light is the moonlight, but with artificial light in the mix, the hatchlings can become disoriented and can draw them inland which can lead to dehydration, predation, and dangers caused by humans such as cars running them over or drowning in swimming pools.
Florida building codes require new construction with direct “line of sight” to the beach to install windows with a visible light transmission (VLT) of 45% or less. Florida has also implemented several ordinances in order to help further protect sea turtles. The Florida Model Lighting Ordinance for Marine Turtle Protection, was created with the intent to establish guidelines to help protect wayward sea turtles in coastal areas from the effects of artificial lighting and to help improve the overall nesting habitats. Specifics to the definition of tinted glass includes: “…any glass treated to achieve an industry-approved, inside-to-outside light transmittance value of 45% or less and limited to the visible spectrum.”
Many people who own existing homes are concerned for the turtles as well. However, they don’t have to go through the expensive process of replacing their windows with tinted glass units. InvisiGuard Window Tinting offers window films that easily comply with the light transmission requirements of the codes, and can be installed right away without disrupting your home and are much more cost effective than replacing the windows. These films also reduce heat input into the home, control glare, and virtually eliminate dangerous ultraviolet rays. By reducing heat load, you’ll get the added bonus of saving on utility costs!
InvisiGuard Window Tinting serves all of Northwest Florida and South Alabama including:
- Pensacola Beach, FL
- Perdido Key, FL
- Gulf Breeze, FL
- Navarre, FL
- Fort Walton Beach, FL
- Destin, FL
- Orange Beach, AL
- Gulf Shores, AL