12% of Sea Turtle Light Profits During June-July 2026 to Fund Critical Coastal Programs

KastLite, a leading manufacturer of coastal-friendly lighting solutions, today announced a partnership with Sea Turtle Oversight Protection (S.T.O.P.), a Fort Lauderdale-based conservation organization dedicated to reducing sea turtle hatchling mortality due to artificial lights along Florida's coastline. Through this partnership, KastLite will donate 12% of all profits from sea turtle light sales from now until the end of July 2026—peak nesting months for sea turtles—to assist in funding S.T.O.P.'s critical rescue, education & advocacy programs. The partnership represents KastLite's commitment to environmental stewardship across Florida and the companies' shared hope for an ongoing relationship that will provide sustained funding for sea turtle protection efforts. Florida hosts over 100,000 sea turtle nests annually, with 90% of sea turtle nesting in the United States occurring on Florida beaches [1]. The collaboration comes at a crucial time as conservation organizations work to address ongoing threats including light pollution, habitat loss, and climate impacts during the 2026 nesting season.

Industry Leadership in Conservation Technology

KastLite’s owners emphasized that the company’s products are closely tied to the coastal environments where sea turtles nest and that the partnership is intended to ensure that purchases during nesting season help fund on-the-ground protection work.

Melissa Alexander, Vice President of Sea Turtle Oversight Protection, added: "S.T.O.P. is thrilled to partner with KastLite, a company that understands the critical role proper lighting plays in sea turtle survival. Their contribution directly supports our nest monitoring, hatchling rescue, and community education initiatives throughout Fort Lauderdale and surrounding coastal areas. This partnership demonstrates how businesses can be powerful allies in education and conservation."

Why Sea Turtle Lights Matter for Coastal Conservation

Sea turtle-friendly lighting has emerged as one of the most effective tools for reducing human impact on nesting sea turtles and their hatchlings. Traditional artificial lighting along coastlines creates a severe threat to sea turtle populations by disrupting natural behaviors critical to species survival. Female sea turtles rely on dark beaches to identify safe nesting sites, while hatchlings use the natural light of the moon and stars reflecting off the ocean to navigate from nest to water. Standard white light sources contain high levels of blue-spectrum light, which disorients both nesting females and hatchlings, often leading them away from the ocean and toward dangerous inland areas where they face dehydration, predation, and vehicle strikes [2].

Sea turtle-safe lights address this threat through three key design principles established by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission: keep it long (wavelengths of 560 nanometers or greater, producing amber, orange, or red light), keep it low (minimal wattage and mounting height), and keep it shielded (completely downward-directed to prevent beach visibility) [3]. These specialized amber LED lights produce long-wavelength illumination that sea turtles are less sensitive to, reducing disorientation by up to 90% compared to standard lighting while still providing adequate visibility for human safety and security [4].

With sea turtles facing multiple threats and only 1 in 1,000 hatchlings surviving to adulthood, every successful nest makes a measurable difference in population recovery [5].

May – July: Critical Window for Sea Turtle Protection

May, June and July represent the peak nesting period for sea turtles along Florida's Atlantic and Gulf coasts, making these months the focus of KastLite's donation program. During this window, female loggerhead, green, and leatherback turtles return to the beaches where they were born, crawling ashore under cover of darkness to dig nests and deposit eggs. The concentration of nesting activity from May to July means that proper lighting during these months has an outsized impact on overall nesting success. Under imperiled species permits from the Florida Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), S.T.O.P.'s trained staff monitor nests in Fort Lauderdale from sunset to sunrise, collecting data about each nest where hatchlings disorient to artificial lights. Hatchlings that cannot find the sea are recovered by the staff and placed at the water’s edge or taken to the nearest rehabilitation center. Reports are submitted to local authorities and FWC. The funds generated through the KastLite partnership will directly support this labor-intensive protection effort during the season's most critical weeks.

To learn more about Kastlite Sea turtle lights visit: https://kastlite.com/collections/sea-turtle

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About KastLite

KastLite is a U.S.-based manufacturer of lighting fixtures, globes, and plastic solutions, serving commercial and industrial customers across all 50 states for over 20 years. Founded on decades of industry experience, KastLite specializes in delivering durable, high-quality products with fast turnaround times and reliable service. The company partners with contractors, distributors, businesses and consumers to simplify sourcing and provide cost-effective lighting and plastic solutions tailored to customer needs. KastLite continues to set the standard in lighting and plastics manufacturing. For more information, visit www.kastlite.com.

About Sea Turtle Oversight Protection (S.T.O.P.)

Sea Turtle Oversight Protection (S.T.O.P.) is a nonprofit organization based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida dedicated to protecting endangered and threatened sea turtles. Founded in 2007, our mission is simple: to reduce sea turtle mortality caused by disorientation from coastal lighting. Through nightly patrols during nesting season, education programs, conservation advocacy and community engagement, our volunteers ensure that thousands of sea turtle hatchlings safely make their way to the ocean each year. As of 2025, S.T.O.P. has saved the lives of over 300,000 sea turtle hatchlings that were disoriented to artificial lights.