Turtle nests run over on Siesta Key beach

SIESTA KEY, Fla. (FOX 13) - Florida Fish and Wildlife authorities are trying to find the person who may have run over turtle nests on Siesta Key Beach.  Authorities say seven staked turtle nests and one newly-laid nest were run over by a golf cart or an ATV. 

RELATED: Watch for sea turtles during nesting season peak

The sticks that mark the nests were run over, along with the nests, on Thursday. 

"They already face so much as for having the odds stacked against them," said Coquina Homer, a biological technician at Mote Marine Laboratory in Sarasota. "It's important that human involvement is only positive. Where we are working to protect them instead of hurting them in any way," Homer said. 

It's sea turtle nesting season and sea turtles, nests, and hatchlings are federally protected.  The person responsible could face fines or jail time.

Anyone with information is being urged to call FWC at 888-404-FWCC (3922).