Description
Building is lit up like a Christmas Tree from dusk to dawn. The lighting in not compliant with the city ordinance. A sea turtle nest recently hatched and once again (as this happens year after year) the tiny turtles disoriented and went the wrong way, they were found in the parking lot of Sunset Chateau both live and dead, in the parking lot drains, in W Gulf Blvd street drain, any multiple dead in the street as they disorient and crawl crossing the street and get run over!!!
Two more nests remain in the vicinity of the building and have a 100% of disorienting as they have each and every year. More disoriented and dead hatchlings can be prevented if the lighting of this building was in compliance.
a aussi demandé...
A. Lighting of the entire building is NOT turtle friendly lighting nor compliant with city’s lighting ordinance.
18 Commentaires
Administration (Membre officiel vérifié)
BC (Utilisateur inscrit)
RealDonn (Utilisateur inscrit)
An anonymous SeeClickFix user (Utilisateur inscrit)
Clos Building and Code Enforcement (Utilisateur inscrit)
Réouvert RealDonn (Utilisateur inscrit)
An anonymous SeeClickFix user (Utilisateur inscrit)
An anonymous SeeClickFix user (Utilisateur inscrit)
sb (Utilisateur inscrit)
An anonymous SeeClickFix user (Utilisateur inscrit)
sb (Utilisateur inscrit)
An anonymous SeeClickFix user (Utilisateur inscrit)
Turtle Permit holder every turtle season. It is an elaborate spreadsheet. The work is essentially done for the city as it lists the properties and the specific lighting issues. The same properties are in violation year after year and suffer no consequences. As of this year, not one violation has been issued. It is unacceptable.
RealDonn (Utilisateur inscrit)
Code Enforcement Officer (Utilisateur inscrit)
The City has, in recent conversations with the Home Owners Association (HOA) President for this property, discussed the lighting issue. It was determined that getting contact information for the property management companies, which manage these properties, was the greatest impediment to addressing this issue. The HOA President has agreed to provide the City with contact information for these management companies.
Knowing the property management companies will allow the City to contact the appropriate people and educate them about the laws and penalties regarding sea turtle protection and turtle friendly lighting. We have also developed educational materials which has been provided to the HOA President for distribution to owners and will be provided to the property management companies for placement in the units which they manage.
Education instead of enforcement has been the approach that has worked the best.
Bob Bray
City planner
City of Treasure Island, FL
An anonymous SeeClickFix user (Utilisateur inscrit)
This is indeed a step in the right direction and a long time coming after many many sea turtle hatchlings have died! It appears that most of the light bulbs have been replaced with red and amber bulbs. This is a start but not enough. I agree that education is key and should have been instituted a long long time ago on a consistent basis. It has to be ongoing, especially because of the constant change in ownership of the condos and beach front properties. But after a certain point and repeat offenders there has to be enforcement. In this case this property has been a major problem year after year after year and never has there been a violation according to public records. Nor have there been any violations assessed on any problematic TI properties that year after year cause disorientation of nesting sea turtles and hatchlings. Simply sending out letters and/or putting a flyer or the door knob is not, nor has it been effective. If property owners know that the City of Treasure Island takes the Wildlife Lighting Ordinance seriously then they will be more inclined to act and make changes. Unfortunately this takes assessing warnings and violations.
Three criteria needs to be met if a property is in compliance.
In order to meet the criteria for Wildlife Lighting, a fixture or lamp must meet all three criteria:
KEEP IT LOW
Mount fixtures as low as possible. Low mounted fixtures provide more light directly on the ground where it is needed for human safety. This also reduces the potential of the light source or lamp from being directly visible.
Use the lowest wattage or lumen output necessary for the needed purpose.
KEEP IT LONG
Use long wavelength (greater than 560 nm AND absent wavelengths below 560 nm) light sources such as amber, orange, or red LEDs without the use of filters, gels, or lenses. Using long wavelength light sources is less disruptive to marine turtles than white or multi-colored lights.
Short wavelength light sources, PC Ambers, RGBs, dual lighting boards, and color change options are not acceptable.
KEEP IT SHIELDED
The fixture must meet or exceed full cutoff. This is defined as no light emitting above a 90-degree plane.
The fixture must be shielded so that the lamp or glowing lens is not directly visible.
Unfortunately, Sunset Chateau is not yet in compliance and will continue to be problematic for sea turtles.
RealDonn (Utilisateur inscrit)
Clos Code Enforcement (Membre officiel vérifié)
Réouvert RealDonn (Utilisateur inscrit)