The St. Pete Beach Marine Turtle & Shoreline Committee on Tuesday reviewed a marked-up marine lighting ordinance that would tighten coastal lighting standards, require inspections for new beachfront construction, and expand rules for temporary and pool lighting to reduce harm to sea turtles and other wildlife.

Brent Bridal Berry, senior planner for the city, told the committee the draft replaces bulb-type rules with a wavelength standard and would require new coastal construction visible from the beach to meet wildlife-friendly specifications. "We're proposing to update it to 30% (visible light transmitted) at the recommendation of the Sea Turtle Conservancy," Bridal Berry said during the meeting. "We will require an inspection prior to certificate of occupancy for new coastal construction that is visible from the beach."

The draft borrows heavily from the state model lighting ordinance and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission (FWC) certified wildlife lighting program. Key proposed changes include: defining "long wavelength" as a wavelength of about 560 nanometers or greater; shifting from a 45% BLT (visible light transmitted) threshold recommended in the state model to a 30% BLT threshold for new coastal construction based on Sea Turtle Conservancy research; requiring full-cutoff fixtures for new exterior installations; extending standards to pools, spas and accessory decks (including horizontally-mounted underwater fixtures that are not directly or indirectly visible from the beach); and treating temporary or transient lighting used for special events as subject to the ordinance during nesting season.

Committee members repeatedly raised enforceability questions. Bridal Berry said code enforcement reviewed the draft and will be involved throughout the permitting and inspection process. "They did make a few comments that have made enforceability a little bit, you know, easier on their side," he said. The draft would require applicants to submit product specifications or certification numbers from the state's repository, or equivalent evidence, and would allow code enforcement to perform nighttime spectrometric checks or visual inspections at the time of permit inspections.

Members discussed how the rules would apply to partial repairs, single-window replacements and condominium complexes where individual unit owners control windows. The draft treats a newly installed or replaced window or a window that creates a new opening visible from the beach as triggering the new coastal construction standard. "If a window is being included in a new addition, any kind of reconstruction, or if it's simply being swapped out one for one, it needs to meet the 30% BLT requirement," Bridal Berry said. The committee debated whether to require compliance only for the replaced window or to require owners to bring entire buildings or multiple units into compliance when a substantial improvement is made.

Committee members voiced concern about costs to property owners. One member suggested incentives rather than strict immediate mandates for existing structures, while others said code officers can require compliance during routine window-permit inspections. The committee discussed options such as allowing interior film application as a lower-cost compliance method for single-window replacements and preserving the current grandfathering approach for fixtures that predate earlier compliance deadlines while clarifying how replacement and substantial-improvement triggers would work.

The draft also clarifies that temporary lighting installed on public property during marine turtle nesting season may be removed without notice if not authorized. The ordinance would require that special-event and transient lighting used during turtle season be wildlife friendly; committee members debated whether to restrict fireworks on the beach during nesting season, and one committee member suggested including a fireworks prohibition at least during turtle season.

Public comment included a statement from Cindy Perry of Boca Ciega Isle Drive, a local birder, who urged the committee to consider migratory birds in addition to sea turtles. "Eighty percent of the birds migrate at night," Perry said. "When you put a darkened window, it actually reflects more, and you're more likely to have a bird strike." The committee acknowledged that the lighting rules have year-round wildlife effects despite the emphasis on turtle nesting season.

Other procedural details in the draft: the ordinance would carry forward earlier compliance-deadline language the city has cited in enforcement for years; it would relocate some sections into chapter 95; and it would continue to exempt limited short-wavelength uses where state law requires them. Code enforcement requested removal of a sentence that specified inspection weeks so officers can conduct random nighttime checks; the committee supported that change.

No formal ordinance vote occurred at the special meeting. The committee asked staff to refine language on definitions (including "dune crossover" and "transient lighting"), to clarify how the permit/inspection checklist will be used, and to draft options on incentives for voluntary retrofits. Staff said they will circulate revised language to the committee and coordinate with state resources, including the FWC certified lighting list and Florida Department of Environmental Protection guidance on dune plantings.

The committee's discussion spanned technical details about wavelength measurement, practical enforcement at night, and how to apply compliance to complex ownership structures such as condominiums. Members generally supported stricter standards for new construction and clearer rules for temporary sources, while searching for equitable approaches to bring older buildings into compliance. The committee left open whether to include a separate fireworks ban during nesting season and requested legal review of enforcement mechanics for transient events.

At the end of the meeting the committee allowed one public comment and did not take a final vote on the ordinance; staff will return a revised draft to the committee for further review.