Florida environmental officials have ordered Fort Lauderdale to make its beachfront lighting turtle friendly.
The state requires cities to use low-wattage lighting invisible from the beach between March 1 and Oct. 31. Otherwise, hatchlings of marine turtles, mistaking bright lights for sunlight, may wander inland, to be run over or eaten by other animals.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission, in a Jan. 4 letter, said Fort Lauderdale should redo the lighting in its wave wall, a beachfront promenade constructed in the 1990s, The Miami Herald reported. City officials say that would cost too much money.
The city has offered to put canvas hoods over some of the beachfront lights, which would cost about $20,000. Robbin Trindell of the commission said that might not work.
"They have offered us no quick fix," said Ted Lawson, a spokesman for the city. "That's why we're trying to come up with our own."
Copyright 2008 by United Press International
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