APOLLO BEACH, Fla. (WFLA) — Dozens of sea turtles were rescued from freezing cold water, and now they are fighting to stay alive at the Florida Aquarium’s Sea Turtle Rehabilitation Center in Apollo Beach.

It’s like a cold weather shelter for sea turtles. Six juvenile green sea turtles were brought to the center Thursday, and another 12 came in Friday night from St. Augustine.

“These guys were debilitated, not moving, not feeling well. Sick. So they came to us for care,” said Ashley Riese, the director of the Sea Turtle Conservation Program at the Florida Aquarium. “They stranded in with a body temperature of around 40 degrees, which is not normal for a sea turtle.”

Riese said they are expecting more because it’s too cold for these turtles. Doctors said this number of patients is unprecedented this year, but they have accepted the challenge and are loading the turtles into their labs. Thawing them is out just the start.

“All of the turtles we have in house do have secondary concerns, whether that’s pneumonia, a bacterial infection,” Riese said.

Each turtle is taken care of individually, and it could take months for them to recover. Doctor Debborah Luke is the Senior Vice President of Conservation at the Florida Aquarium. She said the cost of care comes out to $15,000 per turtle.

“Everything that goes into that $15,000 is a drop in the bucket for a species that’s critically endangered and is an indicator,” Luke said. “So we need to be protecting these endangered species so that ecosystem stays in check so that we are in a healthy place where it helps us humans to thrive.”

There are now 29 turtles at the center. That’s $435,000 dollars to care for them. Many facilities across the West Coast also are still recovering from the aftermath of Hurricanes Helene and Milton, so the team at the center has to increase their critical care efforts to save more turtles in the coming weeks.

You can donate to the cause here. The center also invites those who want to see their process to come out. They are open seven days a week from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., at no cost.