$167K tax dollars to watch sea turtles

BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. (WOFL FOX 35) - The federal government and Brevard County are joining together for a project that will monitor sea turtle nesting season in the County at a cost of $4,500 for each mile of beach in the County. The money will go to University of Central Florida staff since they have the required permits from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission.

Matt Nye with the Brevard County Tea Party says the money being spent this way is exactly what's wrong with our government.

"I wish I could say differently, but unfortunately this is par for the course quite frankly. We have a track record here in Brevard County of spending money on silly things, and this is just one more example."

Frank Ford called it money well spent, saying the amount compared to our federal budget is peanuts.

"I think its an absolute responsibility."

The federal government requires the protection of sea turtles during nesting season, but Nye worries about our multi-trillion dollar deficit.

"I think everybody can agree you want to try and conserve nature where you can, but at the same time, it's just not a function of government to take taxpayer dollars and do that. You know if a private organization wants to do that at their expense than more power to them, as long as they;'re not violating the rights of the property owner."

Brevard County will pay $22,000 of the $167,000 total. Sea turtle nesting season runs from May until the end of October, and there are a lot of restrictions on lighting and construction during that time.

You can learn more about the nesting season from Brevard County here.