Inside Climate News: A Massive Volunteer Network in Florida Works to Save Endangered Sea Turtles

Navarre Beach is a relatively small beachfront community in the Florida Panhandle, between Pensacola Beach and Fort Walton Beach on the Gulf Coast, but it boasts the longest fishing pier in the state, extending 1,545 feet into the Gulf. That also makes it prime territory for turtle entanglements. From 2000 to 2022, Santa Rosa County—where Navarre Beach is located—accounted for 56 percent (254 of 452) fishing pier entanglements reported on Florida’s Gulf Coast. The Dexters lead a team of 26 volunteers in Navarre Beach who are certified by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to conduct turtle rescues and transport the animals to an approved rehab facility. Keep reading HERE.