Palm Coast, FL Outdoor Lighting: Dark Sky Rules (2026)

Florida Statute 161.163 directs the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to designate coastal areas used by sea turtles for nesting and to establish guidelines (codified at Florida Administrative Code Chapter 62B-55, Model Lighting Ordinance for Marine Turtle Protection) for local governments controlling beachfront lighting. Local sea turtle lighting ordinances are required of jurisdictions with Gulf or Atlantic beachfront on the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) nesting list. The City of Palm Coast extends north to the Flagler County line, southwest to the Bunnell city limits, and southeast to touch the city of Flagler Beach, with the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) as the eastern border. Land east of the ICW is the Hammock, an unincorporated community on the Atlantic Ocean - not within Palm Coast city limits. Palm Coast's main beach-access parks (Varn Park at 3665 S Ocean Shore Blvd and Jungle Hut Park at 125 Jungle Hut Road) are in the unincorporated Hammock area, and beachfront-lighting jurisdiction on those beaches lies with Flagler County. Flagler County's sea turtle lighting ordinance is codified at Article VI, Section 6.05.00 (Marine Sea Turtle) of the County Land Development Code (Appendix C to the Code of Ordinances). FAC Chapter 62B-55 (the State of Florida Model Lighting Ordinance for Marine Turtle Protection), effective December 15, 2020, sets the regulatory framework, generally requiring beach-visible artificial light to be (1) shielded so the bulb is not directly visible from the beach, (2) long-wavelength (560 nanometer or greater amber LED) where embers must remain unseen by sea turtles, and (3) reduced or extinguished during sea turtle nesting season (May 1 - October 31 statewide). Within Palm Coast city limits, outdoor lighting for new and redeveloped commercial and multifamily projects is governed by the Palm Coast Unified Land Development Code through site plan review administered by Community Development. Single-family residential outdoor lighting within Palm Coast is not subject to a stand-alone city-wide cutoff, shielding, or color-temperature ordinance, but excessive light trespass may be addressed under the city's general nuisance provisions. The Florida Building Code 8th Edition (2023) places northeast Florida in a 140-150 mph design wind zone, which is unrelated to lighting but is a factor for outdoor-fixture mounting standards.