PANAMA CITY BEACH, Fla. (WMBB) –The Panama City Beach passed an ordinance regarding bonfires on the beach Thursday.
The city now requires select vendors to get a license for bonfires by filling out an application. The new ordinances increase the distance between a fire and a turtle nest by 50-feet and requires the fire to cease when a nest is discovered within 250-feet.
Mayor Mark Sheldon hopes that this will promote safety for beach residents, but also our local wildlife.
“Now we’re doing it through select vendors to make sure we have all the safety precautions met, and those folks can come get a license for a fire and streamline the process. In doing so, we’re also making sure that are sea turtles are safer than they’ve ever been, he said.”
Another requirement mandated in the ordinance is that bonfires must have protective barriers to block light and prevent turtle hatchlings from being led astray.
