FLAGLER COUNTY, Fla. – Sea turtle nesting season is underway on Flagler County’s coastline, but the volunteers who protect those nests are now patrolling on foot.
The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office is asking for the public’s help tracking down a stolen camouflage-colored ATV taken from the Flagler Turtle Patrol — a volunteer group dedicated to protecting sea turtles and their nesting sites along the county’s coastline.
According to a social media post, someone broke into a shed Wednesday afternoon behind the Turtle Patrol’s Marineland facility on North Ocean Shore Boulevard — also known as A1A — and made off with the ATV the group uses to monitor nesting sites along the beach.
“These volunteers give their time to protect our sea turtles and our coast, and someone repaid them by breaking in and stealing the very equipment they rely on,” Sheriff Rick Staly said. “If anyone has any information, please let us know so we can catch whoever did this.”
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office by calling 386-313-4911, contacting Crime Stoppers at 1-888-277-8477, emailing TIPS@flaglersheriff.com, or submitting a tip through the FCSO app or website. Reference Case No. 26-60191.
Florida’s sea turtle nesting season runs from March 1 through Oct. 31 along the Atlantic coast.