FORT MYERS BEACH, Fla. – A record-breaking number of sea turtles are going anywhere but into the Gulf of Mexico on Fort Myers Beach. 

So far, Turtle Time, the organization responsible for tracking sea turtle activity on the island, has recorded a total of 16 sea turtle disorientations. 

This is more in one single season than ever recorded before.

What makes the number even more alarming is that the island is seeing a below-average nesting population. 

“We have 69 nests,” said Cindy Johnson with Turtle Time. “We’ve had 15 disorientations out of 45 nests that have actually hatched. The most we’ve ever had is 11.” 

The culprit: Hurricane Ian. 

Even with the island nearly desolate, light is finding its way to the beach and in turn, disorientating turtles. 

Lights are coming from construction sites, from homes that weren’t visible from the Gulf before and some lights that might just now be coming back on for the first time since Ian. 

“We all need to do some work. All of us,” Johnson said. 

So far this nesting season, the town has dished out at least 44 code violations. However, there’s nothing fueling the fire more than what Turtle Time has recently discovered. 

Some sea turtles are so disoriented that they’ve made it to Estero Boulevard where they’ve been run over. 

“Those are like freshly hatched. Oh, that’s sad,” said Jeremiah Levaron, who’s visiting Fort Myers Beach from Minnesota. 

“Only one in a thousand hatchlings that make it in the water are going to mature to adulthood,” added Johnson. 

These little turtles don’t even have a fighting chance. It’s not because of a predator, but rather because of us. 

“You can hear stories and stuff, but like seeing it first hand, especially if it’s like a big number, it’s like, ‘Okay. Maybe we’re doing something wrong here,’” Levaron said. 

So what can you do to help? 

There’s always the easy solution: turning off the lights. 

However, you can always swap out bright white lights for approved turtle-safe LED amber lights.