Charlotte County has no general inland dark-sky ordinance, but its Gulf beaches carry a real sea-turtle lighting rule. On Manasota Key, Don Pedro Island, and the Englewood beaches, coastal fixtures must be shielded, amber, and kept dark during nesting season, May 1 to October 31.
Charlotte County's barrier-island beaches, Manasota Key, Don Pedro Island, and the Stump Pass/Englewood shoreline, are loggerhead and green sea-turtle nesting habitat, so the county enforces a sea turtle protection ordinance controlling beachfront lighting under its land development code. During nesting season (May 1 to October 31), Gulf-visible lighting must be shielded and mounted low, use long-wavelength amber bulbs (about 560 nanometers or greater), and windows facing the Gulf need tinted glass or covering so hatchlings are not disoriented away from the water. The county follows Florida's model turtle-lighting framework (Fla. Stat. §161.163 and FWC rule 62B-55). Inland, ordinary lighting is governed by zoning glare limits, not a dark-sky mandate.
Beachfront lights that spill onto the nesting zone draw a code-compliance notice and a deadline to shield, re-aim, or replace fixtures. Repeat coastal-lighting violations during nesting season bring escalating fines.
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