Controversial Port of Fernandina Tent Half Removed as OHPA, Relay Clash Over Relocation

By Mike Lednovich/Editor

FERNANDINA BEACH -The 22,000-square-foot fabric tent at the Port of Fernandina — erected without required city approvals and at the center of months of controversy — is now more than halfway dismantled, but a new dispute is taking shape over where the structure will ultimately be relocated.

At Wednesday’s meeting of the Ocean Highway and Port Authority, commissioners were briefed on the progress of removing the massive tent that had drawn scrutiny from city officials and nearby residents after it was installed without proper permitting. The tent was also located in the center of the port complex which was not approved by the authority.

According to prior Observer reporting, the structure was put up by port operator Savage without obtaining a building permit or undergoing the engineering review and inspections required by the City of Fernandina Beach for a structure of that size. Its use for bulk material storage and its prominence along the waterfront intensified concerns over safety, zoning compliance, and whether the operator was bypassing both city regulations and port oversight.

City officials ultimately determined the installation violated local building codes, forcing its removal and exposing broader governance tensions between the port authority and its private operator.

The current port operator - Relay Terminal - and its general manager Travis Zittrauer told commissioners that crews from Big Top Manufacturing — the company that supplies and installs large fabric structures — began dismantling the tent late last week, working through the weekend in a controlled, section-by-section process.

Roughly two-thirds of the fabric covering has been removed so far, along with about 12 to 13 structural frame components. Sidewalls remain in place as crews continue to take down the structure in stages. The work is being executed sequentially, with teams assigned to specific sections to safely disassemble and stage the large components. A port board member has been on-site throughout the week monitoring progress.

While the teardown is advancing steadily, Zittrauer said storage planning is still being evaluated — a point that has quickly become the next source of friction.

Crews are assessing how best to store each section once removed, including whether components will remain on port property or be transported elsewhere. No final relocation site has been publicly identified.

That uncertainty underscores an ongoing divide between OHPA and Relay Terminals over control of port operations and compliance with regulatory requirements.

A central point of contention — and one that has been building since the tent was first installed — is how and where the structure would be reconfigured if it remains at the port. According to prior Observer reporting, Relay Terminals has favored a west-to-east orientation, aligning the length of the 22,000-square-foot structure parallel to cargo flow and existing operational lanes. Relay has argued that this configuration improves efficiency for staging bulk materials, reduces handling time, and better integrates with truck and rail movement across the terminal.

Members of the Ocean Highway and Port Authority, however, have pushed back, advocating instead for a north-to-south orientation. Commissioners have said that rotating the structure would better manage sightlines, reduce its visual impact from surrounding neighborhoods, and potentially mitigate some of the concerns raised by residents when the tent first went up without approval. The orientation, in their view, is not just an operational question but a public-facing one tied to how industrial activity at the port affects the community.

That disagreement has evolved into a broader governance dispute. Commissioners have repeatedly emphasized that any reinstallation — regardless of orientation — must go through proper permitting and board approval, a direct response to how the tent was originally erected. The orientation debate has therefore become a proxy for a larger issue: whether Relay Terminals will adapt its operational preferences to align with board direction, or whether the authority will assert tighter control over how port infrastructure is configured going forward.

Zittrauer said discussions with the dismantling crew will continue as on-site evaluations are completed, with decisions on storage logistics expected in the coming days.