Sarasota County, FL Outdoor Lighting: Dark Sky Rules (2026)

Chapter 54, Article XXIII of the Sarasota County Code, the Sea Turtle Protection Ordinance, governs every exterior fixture that is visible from a nesting Beach in the unincorporated county. Sec. 54-755 requires new development waterward of the Coastal Construction Control Line, or any development creating light visible from the Beach, to use fixtures whose point source or reflective surface is not directly visible from the Beach and that do not directly, indirectly, or cumulatively illuminate it. Compliant fixtures must be completely shielded, downlight-only or recessed, mounted as low as possible, and limited to 25-watt Bug Type Bulbs, low-pressure sodium vapor, red LEDs, or true neon; floodlights, uplights, and spotlights visible from the Beach are flatly prohibited, and safety or security lights must run on motion detectors.

Construction-site lighting during nesting season is capped at eight feet above grade. Sec. 54-756 gave existing development until May 1, 1998 to reposition, replace, or shield noncompliant fixtures, plant vegetation buffers, install window tint meeting the 45-percent transmittance standard in Sec. 54-754, or simply turn lights off; the Board of County Commissioners may grant a compliance-date variance only on a showing of undue hardship, tied to a Board-approved compliance schedule. County Inspectors verify compliance at certificate of occupancy with a night survey conducted with all beachfront lighting turned on, documenting any noncompliance and the remedy taken.

Sec. 54-758 separately bars flagrant transient lighting that illuminates nesting turtles or hatchlings, alongside bans on beach campfires and unmonitored motor vehicles on the sand.