What is World Sea Turtle Day?
World Sea Turtle Day is a day dedicated to raising awareness about sea turtles; As well as their importance to the ocean, and the need to protect them.
It’s a time to recognize all the challenges turtles encounter in their habitat like loss, pollution, and injury.
Additionally this day meant to encourage keeping the turtles safe and healthy; And also to celebrate their strength and beauty.
Gumbo Limbo
Gumbo Limbo Nature Center made some big changes this year.
Earlier in June, The Coastal Stewards nonprofit, who had been running the Sea Turtle Rehabilitation Center and gift shop, announced its closing due to funding issues. The turtles were safely transferred to other facilities, but three permanent resident turtles (Morgan, Lefty, and Lady McNubbins) were able to remain in the outdoor Gumbo Limbo aquariums under city care.
Despite the rehab center closing, Gumbo Limbo remains open.
Gumbo Limbo didn’t let World Sea Turtle Day pass by unnoticed. Even though they were not able to host their traditional celebratory event, they have continued hosting “Resident Sea Turtle Talks.” This enables visitors to go in person to learn about marine conservation. Additionally, all money raised by their sea turtle adoptions goes to help care for their resident turtles; and also helps to promote the work their conservation team does every day.
In years past, they’ve hosted a Sea Turtle Day Festival. Last year they put together an exciting and educational event for the general public. They invited residents to see aquarium feedings, go on nature tours, and learn fun facts through their live presentations. These events gave visitors a chance to learn what it takes to preserve marine life.
Gumbo Limbo 2025 Sea Turtle Activity Schedule and Updates
Sea turtle hatchling season in South Florida generally runs from mid-June through October.
July 23, 2025 Update: With nesting season at its peak, their team is currently on beach duty. They are overseeing 21 Leatherback nests, 770 Loggerhead nests, and 151 Green nests.
Consequently, their Sea Turtle Hatchling Release Program is sold out for this year. However, tickets will be made available next May for next year’s 2026 release program. Meanwhile, every day at 1:00pm they will continue to host a Sea Turtle Talk, M-T until August 28th.
You can also visit Morgan, Lefty, and Lady McNubbins in their outdoor Gumbo Limbo aquariums under city care.
The Nature Center is available to the public anytime during their published business hours with no admission fee.
How You Can Help
- Visit Gumbo Limbo – You can go meet Morgan, Lefty, and Lady McNubbins in person during nature center hours.
- Adopt a turtle – Funding is greatly appreciated and goes towards their daily care expenses, nutrition, and veterinary costs.
- Take action by:
- Reducing plastic use as much as possible so it doesn’t end up in our oceans
- Supporting beach cleanups
- Spreading awareness on social media
Graver Law adopted 3 Sea Turtles!
Meet the Turtles:
Morgan
- A green sea turtle rescued in 2014 after a boat strike left her with partial paralysis in her back flippers making it difficult for her to maintain buoyancy.
- After rehabilitation, she was deemed non-releasable.
Lefty
- A rare male Kemp’s ridley Sea Turtle who was found with severe flipper injuries, missing half his left and nearly his entire right front flipper.
- Lefty is the only Kemp’s ridley in captivity on Florida’s east coast and cannot survive on his own in the wild.
Lady McNubbins
- A juvenile green turtle found in October 2021 off Melbourne Beach, missing her right front flipper and part of her left most likely due to a predator attack.
- She will remain at Gumbo Limbo until her permanent home at Port Canaveral Aquarium is ready
The Graver Law Mascot
At Graver Law, our law firm mascot is the Sea Turtle, which reflects resilience all around. This is something that is familiar to our attorneys and paralegals regarding the practice of law.
For we navigate complex legal issues with dedication and a purpose to rise above. Consequently, we have persevered against all odds in cases numerous times before that may have otherwise been dismissed by other firms or seemed hopeless.
Similarly, Sea Turtles face constant threats in the wild, yet they continue to adapt, survive, and return to the oceans.
At Graver Law, that same spirit is reflected in all that we do; any legal challenges we encounter are faced with strength and an unrelenting determination for justice to prevail.
Don’t forget to protect our marine life!
We are so grateful to have had this experience in visiting and adopting three amazing Sea Turtles. It is a reminder of our commitment to fight for our clients and to fight for our planet; and so many other great causes as well. To register for a Hatchling Release in 2026 or for more on sea turtle conservation please visit Gumbo Limbo online.
