Which should get priority? A city neighborhood literally left in the dark or an endangered species harmed by street lights?
That Solomonesque decision confronts the city of Fort Lauderdale, which is trying to appease city residents, businesses and visitors along the beach, while adhering to lighting restrictions that protect loggerhead sea turtle hatchlings.
While some may think turtles are only good for soup, the city's obligation — and the law — are crystal clear. The turtles must be protected.
Still, it's hard not to sympathize with Birch Park Finger Streets area residents who must cope with a virtual blackout along the stretch of A1A that runs along the ocean north of Sunrise Boulevard. Their beachfront promenade is pitch dark and will remain that way until the turtle-nesting season ends in November.
In many parts of the region, high-rise condomiums help shield the beach from the lights of commercial businesses. But in the stretch north of Sunrise, where there are no condo towers, extra effort is needed to keep the glow of street lights and oceanfront homes from being seen on the beach, as required by law.
With a fear of crime and complaints about trouble finding a home in the dark, it's easy to understand the concerns of residents who feel baby turtles get more protection than people. "As much as I think every one of us has been very involved in trying to protect the sea turtles, you can't do that at the expense of human life," said Fort Lauderdale Mayor Jack Seiler, echoing the sentiments of many along the beach.
Ideally when they hatch, baby turtles would head toward the moonlight over the ocean, but the light from development along the coast can instead send them scurrying off in the wrong direction.
In 2011, Broward saw 14,047 disoriented hatchlings, according to a tally by the Sea Turtle Oversight Protection group. The statistic represents a big jump over the 8,855 rescued in 2010 and a compelling enough figure to prompt safeguards.
It's not like the city hasn't tried to address the issue. City officials developed one of the more stringent coastal community lighting ordinances in an effort to promote greater understanding of the loggerhead turtle, a recognizable habitant on Florida's beaches but a mainstay on the list of endangered species.
Give city officials credit for rethinking the ordinance. Currently it bars man-made lights from falling on any part of the beach, which affects clubs, restaurants, hotels and other businesses along the oceanfront roadway.
Proposed modifications would allow light to fall on the dunes close to the wall that hugs the sidewalk, making the city ordinance comparable to state law. City officials also want to build dune vegetation to block out light and keep young turtles in the shadows. New turtle-friendly lights also will be added along A1A as part of the road's reconstruction from the storm damages of Hurricane Sandy.
Most of those changes won't take place until the next turtle-nesting season, but that shouldn't stop city officials from seeking a short-term alternative for the darkness that's befallen the area this season.
City officials have worked with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to come up with turtle-friendly lighting and shading to make A1A safe for both species. There's nothing preventing them from doing that again to shed some light on communities that need it.