Lee County treats light escaping toward the beach as a violation of its sea-turtle ordinance. A rebuttable presumption of violation exists when artificial light casts a shadow of an opaque object in nesting habitat, so beachfront lights must be shielded and directed downward.
Under Lee County Code Sec. 14-73, a rebuttable presumption that there is a violation exists when a shadow is created or cast by artificial lighting directly or indirectly illuminating an opaque object in sea turtle nesting habitat during the nesting season, or when a nesting turtle or hatchling is disoriented by light visible from the beach. New-development exterior fixtures must be long-wavelength, downward-directed, full-cutoff, fully shielded, and mounted as close to the ground as possible so light is not directly or indirectly visible from the beach or dunes. Fully shielded means the lamp and glowing elements are not directly visible from the beach. Beyond the beach, Lee County has no general residential light-trespass ordinance.
Violations are prosecuted under Ch. 2, Art. VII; the County may act against the owner, occupant, or responsible person and pursue civil and criminal remedies in addition to code-enforcement fines.
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