ORLANDO, Fla. – Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission investigators want to speak to an Orlando woman seen on a social media video holding a sea turtle and shining a light on others.
News 6 obtained the video from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, and it appears to have been shot in Longboat Key, which is near Sarasota.
In the video, baby sea turtles are seen emerging from the sand in the darkness, illuminated by a cellphone camera light.
Biologists warn against shining lights at the hatchlings, which can mistake the light for the moon, which they say guides them to the ocean.
A blonde woman is also seen in the video picking up one of the hatchlings, posing with it momentarily and putting it back down in the sand.
According to FWC, handling sea turtles is against the law.
FWC said they would like to question Stephanie Marie Rushing, 24, to see if she knew what she did was possibly illegal.
No one answered the door when News 6 went to her home on Thursday.
According to FWC, interfering with sea turtles is a third-degree felony with a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $5,000 fine.
Rushing could also face federal charges since the sea turtles are endangered with maximum fines of $100,000.
Watch News 6 for more on this story.