Trenton Daniel, Miami Herald 12 Jan 08;
A conflict between city and state over "turtle-friendly" lighting could jeopardize thousands of endangered sea turtles less than two months before the nesting season starts.
From March 1 to Oct. 31, cities are required by law to use low-wattage lights that are near the ground and not visible from the beach -- a measure meant to save turtles' lives.
Experts say the hatchlings of species such as loggerheads, green and leatherback sea turtles mistake artificial lights for sunlight and wander inland instead of toward the sea, where cars run over them and predators eat them.
If the lighting causes harm or injury to the turtles, the city could be prosecuted for failing to comply with a state marine turtle protection act and the U.S. Endangered Species Act of 1973.
Now, the state wants Fort Lauderdale to redo the lights in its famous two-mile "wave wall" along State Road A1A, but city leaders say the price is too steep.
In a Jan. 4 letter, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission suggested the city install a different kind of lighting in the wave wall, Fort Lauderdale's signature beachfront feature, constructed in the 1990s.
That could take months and cost thousands, said Ted Lawson, a City Hall spokesman.
Also, it could mean digging up the wall.
"It wouldn't be Fort Lauderdale" without the wave wall, Lawson said. "They have offered us no quick fix. That's why we're trying to come up with our own."
The city's proposal to put hoods or "canvas shields" over some 200 street poles along the thoroughfare at a cost of $20,000 may not work, said Robbin N. Trindell, biological administrator for the wildlife commission.
Even though they may be shaded, it is unlikely that the lights can be illuminated during nesting season "without impacting nesting females and hatchlings on the adjacent beach," Trindell wrote in her Jan. 4 letter to the city.
"It could be problematic for these particular lights to again be lit during nesting season."
Last year, Fort Lauderdale simply turned off the harsh lights along the east side of the street after running out of options to meet state standards.
The Florida Department of Transportation and Florida Power & Light followed suit and shut off lights on the west side.
"It was crisis management," Trindell said. "The city did not have time to get alternative lights set up."
The sudden darkness last year raised the fears of nearby residents that it would bring a crime wave, something that Fort Lauderdale police have not reported.
Still the dark street gave some residents the jitters.
"You're in total, total darkness," early-morning jogger Teri Merritt said. "As the summer went on, I ran -- stepped -- over somebody who was passed out on the sidewalk. Another time, one man was showering in his underwear.
"I do know we need to do something," Merritt said.
Broward turtle conservationists formerly relocated nests to darker spots. But they stopped the practice last year after experts said that did more harm than good.
City officials admit they're worried about running out of time once again.
"We're trying to come up with our own solution," Lawson said. "We need something temporary. We need something immediate."
Both FDOT and FPL have plans to fix their lights to save the turtles.
FDOT will retrofit its lights on the west side of A1A to aim them at the sidewalk. The wildlife commission has accepted that plan.
FPL also is planning to attach shields to 27 lights, FPL spokeswoman Sarah Marmion said.
A handful of other cities along the coast have found a way to come up with ways to save the turtles.
In Hallandale Beach, city workers spent the past two years changing lights on city-owned buildings and walkways on beachfront parks.
"It wasn't a real big deal to us," said Gary Gibson, landscape superintendent for the city's public works department. "We're not Fort Lauderdale, either."
