The sight of thousands of tiny white mothballs scattered across the sand at St. Pete Beach might have seemed strange at first. For local wildlife officials and volunteers, though, it quickly became an alarming sign that someone was trying to drive away an imperiled species of shorebird. This incident, now at the center of felony charges against two Florida business owners, has become a striking example of the ongoing tension between coastal development, tourism, and endangered wildlife protection.

According to investigators with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), the trouble began in late April when beachgoers noticed mothballs dotted across the white sand behind the Plaza Beach Hotel on St. Pete Beach in St. Petersburg, Florida. Volunteers and officers picked up about 1,000 of the small, pesticide-laced spheres. By the next morning, another 500 mothballs had appeared in the same area. That stretch of beach was not just another scenic spot. It was a place where black skimmers, a state-listed imperiled species, were attempting to establish a nesting colony. The presence of mothballs would have been concerning in any family-friendly beach setting. Placed in a nesting area for vulnerable birds, they raised even deeper fears about intentional harassment and illegal dumping.

Pinellas County Jail

Black skimmers are distinctive shorebirds that nest directly on the sand. Instead of building elaborate structures, they scrape shallow depressions into the beach, lay their eggs, and raise their chicks close to the surf. That nesting habit makes them especially vulnerable to disturbance. When birds choose a nesting site, conservation groups and agencies often set up fencing and signage to keep people at a safe distance. It is a simple measure meant to give the birds a chance to reproduce successfully without being trampled, disturbed, or harassed by constant human activity.

Those protections can collide with business interests, especially in areas that depend heavily on beach tourism. In this case, FWC officials said that fear of lost revenue motivated the alleged plot. As investigators dug into the origin of the mothballs, public concern grew. Members of the community expressed outrage and worry about the birds, and there was, in the words of FWC officials, “a lot of public outcry.” Volunteers, including bird advocates from the Audubon Society, took to the sand to remove as many mothballs as possible and to limit harm to wildlife and children who might stumble across the toxic orbs.

Law enforcement treated the incident with notable seriousness. Investigators served search warrants, examined “terabytes” of data, and eventually seized cellphones in an effort to identify those responsible. Through a combination of video surveillance and receipt records, they linked a Walmart purchase of a large quantity of mothballs, totaling about 60 dollars, to hotel owner Robert Czyszczon. The day after that purchase, mothballs began appearing on the beach behind his property. FWC officials later reported that incriminating text messages and cellphone tower data also pointed to bar owner and manager Christopher Monroe, whose phone appeared in the same locations as Czyszczon’s on the nights the mothballs were placed.

Text messages reviewed by investigators, according to FWC, showed the men discussing their frustration with the black skimmers and their concern about the impact of nesting birds on their businesses. One message described the birds as “the worst” and anticipated the appearance of protective fencing by “the bird people.” That fencing, they believed, would limit access for beachgoers and potentially reduce customer traffic. In one text, one man allegedly reacted to an estimate of financial impact by writing, “Why didn’t you tell me we lose 25,000 to 50,000?” These exchanges painted a picture of two business owners worried about revenue and apparently willing to resort to mothballs to keep birds away.

Pinellas County Jail

The strategy they allegedly chose was problematic on several levels. Mothballs contain pesticides designed to release vapors that repel insects in enclosed spaces. According to the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS), those vapors can harm people and wildlife that come into contact with them, especially when used improperly outdoors. Brett W. Bultemeier, director of the UF/IFAS Pesticide Information Office, has emphasized that the label on a pesticide is not simply advice but a legally enforceable requirement. Using mothballs in ways not specified on the label can be dangerous as well as illegal.

In this case, FWC officials noted that children and a wide range of wildlife could easily come into contact with the scattered mothballs. Although authorities said the black skimmers themselves likely were not physically harmed by the short-term exposure, the presence of mothballs interfered with the birds’ nesting efforts. That delay carries real consequences. When nesting is pushed later into the season, young birds may not fledge before the height of hurricane season. As FWC officials explained, a major storm arriving toward the end of the season, which officially ends on November 30, can wipe out a colony if chicks are still confined to the nesting area and unable to fly.

Legal consequences followed swiftly. Both Monroe and Czyszczon were charged with illegal dumping, a third-degree felony in Florida. If convicted, each could face up to five years in prison, fines of up to 5,000 dollars, and as much as five years of probation. They also were charged with the attempted take of a state-listed imperiled species by harassment, which is a misdemeanor. Court records show that both men were released from jail on bond. An attorney for Czyszczon did not respond to a request for comment, according to the source article, and records indicated Monroe did not yet have legal representation.

Florida is home to an estimated 6,800 black skimmers, with several hundred living on the beaches of Pinellas County alone. That relatively small population makes each nesting season particularly important. Even if a single incident does not kill birds outright, repeated harassment, habitat disturbance, and delayed nesting can accumulate into meaningful pressure on a species that is already considered imperiled. I found this detail striking because it highlights how actions that may seem minor or temporary at first glance can ripple through a population’s long-term viability.

This case also offers a wider reminder about shared spaces like beaches. Tourists, residents, business owners, and wildlife all intersect along the shoreline. Regulations around pesticides, protected species, and habitat management may appear burdensome to some people, especially when money is at stake, but they exist for reasons grounded in science and public safety. Using chemical products like mothballs outside their intended context can threaten both children playing in the sand and animals that depend on that same stretch of shoreline to survive.

For communities along Florida’s Gulf Coast, the story unfolding at St. Pete Beach underscores the importance of cooperation between local businesses, environmental organizations, and state agencies. Volunteers picked up thousands of mothballs, and investigators pieced together a detailed record of texts, purchases, and phone data to enforce the law. Those efforts reflect a shared recognition that beaches are more than backdrops for tourism. They are living habitats where decisions about profit, protection, and responsibility meet in very real ways.

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