Franklin County commissioners have agreed to amend the county's “Leave No Trace” ordinance even while they consider additional changes to the rule.
The leave no trace ordinance was created in 2015 as a way to protect nesting sea turtles by banning people from leaving items like tents and beach chairs on public beaches on St. George Island overnight - items that are left out can be confiscated and destroyed at the landfill.
The county agreed to expand the rule to include penalties for people who dig holes on the beaches and don't fill them in before leaving the beach.
Holes are a big impediment to nesting sea turtles that have to crawl across the beach to lay their eggs near the dune line.
Peoiple who leave unfilled holes at night can now be charged with a 2nd degree misdemeanor which can include a 500 dollar fine and up to 60 days in jail.
The board said it will hold another hearing in the future where it could expand the rule to other beaches where sea turtles nest, including Carrabelle Beach and the public beaches at bald point and Alligator Point.
Sea turtles don't nest as often on Carrabelle Beach, which is considered the Bay, as they do on the Gulf front beaches, but it does happen.
Alligator Point is a popular area for nesting turtles.
The commission said it would also like to consider possibly banning fires on public beaches during sea turtle nesting season.
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