Shell-ebrate Sea Turtles in The Palm Beaches

WEST PALM BEACH, FL – May 8, 2018 – Along the 47 miles of coastline in The Palm Beaches, you’ll find more than just sunbathers: Palm Beach County beaches have more sea turtle nests per mile than anywhere else in the United States, making this South Florida destination one of the most important nesting spots in the world for five of the seven species – Loggerhead, green, leatherback, hawksbill, and Kemp's ridley. In 2017, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission recorded 39,715 turtle nests along the 47 miles of coastline in Palm Beach County, each of which holds approximately 80-120 eggs. Between March 1 and October 31, sea turtles are the most active on Palm Beach County’s beaches.

Travelers looking for a tropical escape, who also wish to support conservation, can enjoy both by visiting a marine center or booking an inspiring hotel package designed to help you connect with sea turtles. Visitors can enjoy up-close encounters with these extraordinary animals, as well as diving adventures that journey into their natural habitat. Whether you “shell-ebrate” World Turtle Day on May 23 or World Sea Turtle Day on June 16 -- all year long, you can find sea turtles in The PalmBeaches.

Sea turtle with yellowtail snapper in The Palm Beaches, photo courtesy Mike Scott Photography

HOTEL PACKAGES

• Loggerhead Love – Palm Beach Marriott Singer Island Beach Resort & Spa in Singer Island, Florida

With the world’s third largest barrier reef just offshore, this all-suite resort located on The Palm Beaches’ Singer Island is an eco-adventure destination in itself. Besides energy-saving measures on property (like power- and water-conserving appliances in suites and a water- and energy-saving linens program), Palm Beach Marriott Singer Island Beach Resort & Spa has focused its attention on protecting Florida’s turtle population.

Three different resort initiatives benefit the nearby Loggerhead Marinelife Center (LMC). They include:

• Plush turtles in each suite available for purchase, with a percentage of sales going to the LMC.
• “For the Love of the Si Turtles” program at the award-winning SiSpa, donating 10 percent of sales from a 50-minute Signature Massage or Signature Facial.
• A Meet a Sea Turtle overnight package (based on a two-night minimum) featuring one-day access for four to the LMC, participation in its Adopt a SeaTurtle program, and a percentage of package proceeds donated to the center.

Photo of suite with sea turtle-printed pillows, courtesy the Palm Beach Marriott Singer Island Beach Resort & Spa

• Stay and Save the Sea Turtles – Jupiter Beach Resort & Spa in Jupiter, Florida

This sea turtle nesting season, Jupiter Beach Resort & Spa is partnering with the nearby Loggerhead Marinelife Center (LMC) to give guests a chance to get close to endangered loggerhead, leatherback and green sea turtles that lay their eggs during their annual summer nesting process. In honor of this natural phenomenon, the property is offering a “Stay and Save the Sea Turtles” package that encourages guests to give back to the cause. The package includes:

• $50 daily resort credit.
• Stuffed Loggie the sea turtle welcome amenity.
• Guests who book three nights or more will have a portion of proceeds from their visited donated to the LMC to adopt a sea turtle in their name.

Rates from $198/night. To book, visit JupiterBeachResort.com with promo code TURTLE. Must book three nights minimum to have proceeds donated to the LMC. 

• Sea Turtle Hatchling Release – Boca Raton Resort & Club, A Waldorf Astoria Resort in Boca Raton, Florida 

This season, the Boca Raton Resort & Club, A Waldorf Astoria Resort offers the opportunity to watch the nesting of leatherback, loggerhead and green seaturtles during nesting season at the beaches of the Boca Beach Club. Two sea turtle hatchling release events will occur at 7:30 p.m., and the first will be on Friday, September 7, for Club members only. The second will be on Friday, September 14, for both Resort guests and Club members. During each release event, Gumbo Limbo Nature Center will hold a 30-minute presentation prior to the release inside the Boca Beach Club. Following the presentation, the group will be taken out to the beach to release the hatchlings.

Photo of a previous sea turtle hatchling release, courtesy the Boca Raton Resort & Club, A Waldorf Astoria Resort

• Meet Sea Turtles through Hilton – Participating Hilton hotels in The Palm Beaches, Florida

In June, July and August, book a stay at participating Hilton hotels in The Palm Beaches and receive discounts and iconic experiences at the Loggerhead Marinelife Center in Juno Beach. For information, visit www.travel.hilton.com/wpb-boca.

CONSERVATION CENTERS

• Capital Expansion at Loggerhead Marinelife Center – Juno Beach, Florida

Loggerhead Marinelife Center (LMC) is an ocean conservation organization and sea turtle rehabilitation hospital located in Juno Beach, which has one of the most densely-nested loggerhead turtle nesting beaches in the world. LMC features up-close interactions with threatened and endangered sea turtles, as well as unique aquariums, exhibits, sea turtle tracking and learning programs. Trained staff and volunteers lead 39 educational programs offered hundreds of times throughout the year, as well as specialty summer beach programs June through August to see these gentle giants coming to nest.

Sea turtle release photo courtesy Loggerhead Marinelife Center

The LMC has embarked upon a $14 million "Waves of Progress" capital expansion, in which the Center’s facilities will more than double in size. Groundbreaking for the expansion is planned for later this year. The proposed expansion will include the following:

• Expanded sea turtle hospital and sea turtle hospital tanks
• Expanded research laboratory
• New classroom space
• New presentation spaces for guest lecturers and visiting scientists
• Expanded exhibit spaces

Renderings of expansion for Loggerhead Marinelife Center (LMC), courtesy LMC

• Coastal and Marine Experience at Gumbo Limbo Nature Center – Boca Raton, Florida

Gumbo Limbo Nature Center is 20-acre coastal preserve, surrounded by a rare remnant of tropical hardwood hammock, located on a barrier island. Guests can enjoy a walk on a newly-reconstructed boardwalk, which travels 1/3 mile through the coastal forest and connects to Red Reef Park West. A variety of native fish and other marine animals reside in large outdoor marine aquariums, and you can visit the Sea Turtle Rehabilitation Facility to learn about the seaturtle patients. The facility monitors more than 800 sea turtle nests a year within a five-mile span of beaches, including satellite tracking. More than 9,000 stranded sea turtle hatchlings are released each nesting season. Florida Atlantic University has an onsite marine biology laboratory with a gallery for viewing research projects conducted by professors and students.

Photo courtesy Gumbo Limbo Nature Center

• Sea Turtle Talks & Walks at John D. MacArthur Beach State Park – North Palm Beach (Singer Island), Florida

Nestled on an Atlantic Ocean front barrier island, John D. MacArthur Beach State Park is the only state park in Palm Beach County. Three species of threatened or endangered sea turtles -- the loggerhead (Caretta caretta), the green (Chelonia mydas), and the leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea) -- nest regularly on this beach. Starting May 30, the public can register to participate in an evening “Sea Turtle Talk & Walk” for $12 per person. The following dates are when the events are available: June 4, June 6, June 11, June 13, June 15, June 18, June 20, June 25, June 27, June 29, July 2, July 6, July 9, July 11 and July 13. 

For guidelines on interacting with Sea Turtles on our beaches, please refer to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. 

About Discover The Palm Beaches
Discover The Palm Beaches, formerly the Palm Beach County Convention and Visitors Bureau, is the official tourism marketing corporation that promotes the collection of 39 cities and towns commonly referred to as “The Palm Beaches,” which spans more than 2,300 square miles and 47 miles of pristine, golden beaches from Boca Raton to Jupiter and Tequesta. Tourism is among Palm Beach County’s major industries, generating $4.7 billion in direct visitor spending and supporting 70,000 jobs with an economic impact of about $7 billion. Once recognized as a tropical escape for elite travelers in the late 1800s, America’s First Resort Destination® is making its resurgence as The Best Way To Experience Florida®, welcoming a record-breaking 7.89 million people in 2017. The Palm Beaches are home to nearly 17,000 hotel rooms, ranging from historic resorts to boutique inns. The destination features more than 100 family-friendly attractions, world-class luxury and antique shopping experiences, 125 miles of peaceful waterways for on- or in-the-water activities, more than 150 artificial reefs that line the Atlantic Ocean’s Gulf Stream current, 160 golf courses, award-winning restaurants and a thriving entertainment scene boasting more than 200 art and culture organizations.

Situated along I-95, The Palm Beaches are also home to Palm Beach International Airport (PBI), with more than 200 daily direct flights to 27 domestic and international destinations in the United States and Canada. The Palm Beaches are also conveniently located next to Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood and Miami International airports, each one only an hour away. In addition, with the new Brightline train, transportation into The Palm Beaches from Fort Lauderdale is even faster and more convenient – with connections to Miami and Orlando coming soon.