On Saturday, protesters gathered outside the Tradewinds Resort, urging city leaders to deny permits for the upcoming music festival, scheduled to begin May 8.
ST. PETE BEACH, Fla. — A three-day country music festival planned for St. Pete Beach is drawing pushback from residents who say the timing puts endangered wildlife at risk.
On Saturday, protesters gathered outside the Tradewinds Resort, urging city leaders to deny permits for the upcoming Country Thunder music festival, scheduled to begin May 8. Organizers expect thousands of people to attend the beachside event over three days.
Residents say the festival coincides with sea turtle nesting season and could threaten both turtles and shorebirds that rely on dark, quiet beaches to survive.
“It’s very concerning. They hold no permits. They did not do their due diligence,” said Heidi Perna, one of several residents who took part in the protest. “It’s a catastrophe waiting to happen.”
Sea turtle nesting season typically runs from May through October. Conservation advocates say bright lights, large crowds and structures left on the sand can disorient nesting turtles and hatchlings, causing them to move away from the water instead of toward it.
“Everybody knows you get fined up and down the beach for lights,” Perna said. “And yet, you’re going to have a stage and people around with so many bright lights to disorient the turtles. It’s just ridiculous.”
Others pointed to the scale of the festival, saying it would be one of the largest events ever held on St. Pete Beach.
“There’s just so many people,” said Claudine Reece, another protester. “It’s more than two times any other event that’s ever happened here on St. Pete Beach, and the timing puts our black skimmers and our sea turtles in danger.”
Residents say the concerns are heightened after recent hurricanes damaged protective dunes along the beach — dunes that help shield nesting areas from lights and foot traffic.
Jody Powell, who says she has lived on St. Pete Beach for decades, worries about the long-term impact.
“The lighting confuses these little tiny baby turtles,” Powell said. “They’re trying to get back to the ocean, and they don’t make it.”
Many protesters emphasized they are not opposed to hosting concerts or supporting tourism. Instead, they are asking festival organizers and the city to consider moving the event off the beach or shifting it to another time of year.
“We’d really love to see them change the date,” Reece said. “I’d love to see the business come, but do it when it’s not nesting season.”
Maria Erickson echoed those concerns, saying sea turtles need beaches that are “clean, dark and flat” in order to nest successfully.
In a statement to 10 Tampa Bay News, a spokesperson for the Tradewinds Resort said the festival plans to include turtle monitoring, limited lighting and offsite parking to reduce potential impacts on wildlife.
However, some residents argue the event has not yet received final approval from the city and should not be hosted on the sand at all.
“They don’t even have the required permits by the city,” Erickson said.
The final decision now rests with the St. Pete Beach city manager, who must determine whether the festival can move forward as planned.
Country Thunder’s lineup includes major artists such as Kane Brown, Zach Top and Shaboozey.