Driver arrested for DUI after driving through sea turtle nests in Fort Lauderdale Beach, police say

By Nicole Linsalata, Aaron Page

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    FORT LAUDERDALE, Florida (WSVN) — A driver was arrested after he was accused of driving through a sea turtle nest on Fort Lauderdale Beach while under the influence.

According to a witness, they were at the beach, just before 9:30 p.m. Sunday, volunteering with Sea Turtle Oversight Protection, when they saw a Hummer speeding on the beach.

“This is unacceptable behavior,” Jason, a volunteer at the beach, said about the incident. “There’s no reason for this.”

The Hummer, the witness said, drove over the loggerhead turtle nest that was being monitored by Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission-sanctioned volunteers and came within feet of them.

Cellphone video, shared with 7News, shows the driver speeding through the sandy stretch of the beach at a high rate of speed.

“The driver made multiple passes down the beach, back up, down, and back up again, I think looking for an exit.” Jason said.

Once police arrived on the beach, 42-year-old Manuel Ortega Orellana was arrested and charged with DUI.

Loggerhead sea turtles are an endangered and protected species. Broward County is home to more loggerhead nests than most Florida counties.

“We see between 50 and 80 hatch out of each nest,” said Bridgette, another volunteer. “For every thousand sea turtle hatchlings, only one makes it to adulthood.”

This is the season where the baby turtles come out of their nests and roam into the ocean. The City of Fort Lauderdale imposes light restrictions so the baby turtles can make their way safely to the ocean without confusion.

“We have this person out here with their vehicle driving through and over turtle nests. It’s absolutely hideous and disgusting. Illegal, indefensible,” Holly, a volunteer who comes out to monitor the turtles every night, said about the incident. “These turtles take about two to three days to make their way to the top of the surface and then they emerge. So if these turtles were at the very top at the surface waiting to come out, and he drove over them, he absolutely could have killed a whole bunch of turtles.”

“We’ve seen mamas nesting here up until as recently as last week,” said Jason. “Sometimes two, three, four at a time at different stages of coming ashore, laying eggs and returning, and it takes them a little bit of time to do that. Had he come on a mother nesting it could have been even bad for that reason too.”

The volunteers said it was too early to determine how heavily the eggs were affected, but they will have to monitor them and see if any sea turtle babies come from the nest and make it to the ocean.

“These animals are up against so many man-created issues,” said Holly. “It’s absolutely hideous.”

Orellana remains in the Broward County Jail on an immigration hold.

The FWC will be investigating this incident.

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