Dim the Lights To Save the Turtles; Real Estate Developer NRIA Is Helping Save South Florida’s Sea Turtles

SECAUCUS, NJ / ACCESSWIRE / January 4, 2022 / National Realty Investment Advisors (NRIA), a luxury real estate developer with properties throughout the east coast, announces that it is doing its part to help save the sea turtles along South Florida's beaches.

Every year, between early March and Halloween, more than 100,000 sea turtles nest on the beaches of Florida. Floridians and visitors alike love to visit these majestic creatures and see the newborns emerge from their sandy nests.

NRIA, which has properties in development throughout Southern Florida, is taking the conservation of sea turtles seriously. Glenn La Mattina, Chief Operating Officer for NRIA, said that the safety of the turtles in the areas that NRIA builds is a priority for the New Jersey-based firm.

NRIA has developed real estate alongside the Florida beachfront, La Mattina said, including single-family estates, townhomes, and condominiums, all of which have access to private beaches.

"We developed our construction sites with the natural wildlife in mind," he said. "The private beaches are more than just a perk for residents. They reduce crowds on the beach and contribute to an environment where the sea turtles can safely breed."

Despite the positive attention the turtles receive, the relationship between society and this aspect of nature is an uneasy one. While real estate developers like NRIA build along the shorelines of Florida, the sea turtles, too, are building their homes where the ocean meets the shore.

And as more and more people crowd the area, humans sometimes unwittingly contribute to sea turtle deaths. Bright outdoor lights that shine from buildings in the night attract baby sea turtles, who crawl away from the ocean.

Beverly Knight is a real estate broker who has been volunteering as a sea turtle monitor in South Florida for over two decades. "The turtles should be drawn to the sparkling light of the ocean at night," she said. "But they will head towards any light, particularly artificial light, at night. That is how they die."

According to Knight, the loggerhead, leatherback, and green species of sea turtles populate the South Florida beaches. Boynton Beach, Delray Beach, and Fort Lauderdale, in Florida's Palm Beach County, are, in fact, home to over 36,000 turtle nests across 45 miles of beaches.

"Builders and real estate developers can use turtle-friendly lights," Knight says. These are amber or shaded and less likely to draw the turtles."

For NRIA, turtle-friendly lights are non-negotiable. "All of our buildings are constructed with the turtles in mind," NRIA's La Mattina says. "The architects and engineers design our buildings knowing that protecting the turtles is a priority."

That is how beach lighting, in accordance with the ordinances of Palm Beach County, is incorporated into the design of NRIA's developments, La Mattina explained. This lighting dissuades the turtles from traveling too close to populated parts of the development.

The turtle lights are low-placed, shielded lamps that produce long wavelengths of light, according to NRIA. This turns the light into a shade of amber or red that turtles won't confuse for the moon or stars, keeping the turtles from being called towards the developments instead of the sea.

For Beverly Knight, turtle-minded safety measures like those put into place by NRIA help ensure that humans and sea turtles can coexist for years to come.

"It's a commitment, but once you get involved, you are hooked," she said. "The turtles take a piece of your heart. They are little miracles."

About NRIA

With a history of over a decade of delivering the highest quality in construction, NRIA, headquartered in Secaucus, New Jersey, has earned its reputation as one of the leading real estate developers in the nation.

For more information about NRIA, visit www.nria.net.

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Dawn Ouellette Nixon
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SOURCE: NRIA