By Larry Barszewski
After Ocean Ridge spent five years trying to work out a deal for Florida Power & Light to take ownership of street lighting on the town’s portion of East Ocean Avenue, it turns out sea turtles will have the last word.
That came as a surprise to town officials, who until recently didn’t even know the turtles needed to be part of the discussion.
The town had been working most recently on an arrangement with FPL to replace the town’s 47 aging decorative teal poles on East Ocean Avenue on the east side of the Intracoastal Waterway with 18 new black decorative poles.
But the Town Commission decided at its Oct. 5 meeting that it’s best to leave things the way they are.
Commissioners reached that conclusion after it became clear that one party had unknowingly been left out of the negotiations. Not only did the proposed configuration not meet Florida Department of Transportation lighting standards, new engineering consultants hired by the town determined that the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission also needed to have a say because part of the roadway is subject to lighting restrictions during turtle nesting season.
In order to comply with the turtle lighting regulations in addition to FDOT’s standards, representatives from CHA Consulting Inc. said the town would have to double the 47 current decorative lighting poles on its stretch of Ocean Avenue and quadruple the number of light fixtures there, using dimmer turtle-friendly lights.
“How do the turtles see a light through, I think it’s if you count the houses there, probably 24 houses?” Mayor Geoff Pugh asked. “I mean, is that a magic turtle that sees the light bouncing off the clouds? I don’t get it.”
Stephanie Bortz of CHA felt his frustration.
“I wish I knew. Our alternative is to put up a sign that says, ‘Turtles stop and do not come closer,’” she joked. “When it comes to environmental mapping with any of these agencies, A1A in its totality is a wildlife-sensitive area. In this particular corridor, it jumps into East Ocean.”
Commissioners decided the best and most affordable option presented by the consultants would be for the town to maintain its existing system. No design change or change to the corridor lighting would be needed. There would be a power distribution upgrade to better protect against king tides and other flooding.
Pugh said the decorative lighting is needed — along with a fresh coat of paint on the poles — due to the road’s importance to the town.
“We have to do it because it’s our main boulevard coming into town,” Pugh said.
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