'We Could Make a Million Dollars:' Fernandina Lighthouse Tourism Ideas Alarm Nearby Residents

By Mike Lednovich/Editor

FERNANDINA BEACH — Property owners living adjacent to the historic Amelia Island Lighthouse are raising concerns over proposals that could increase tourism activity at one of the city's most recognizable landmarks.

At last Tuesday's City Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee (PRAC) meeting, three homeowners voiced worries about how potential changes designed to expand public access and generate revenue from the lighthouse could affect their quality of life.

The Amelia Island Lighthouse property, located at 215 O'Hagan Lane and accessible from North Wolff Street, is currently open to the public for viewing only on Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The city also offers guided tours on the first and third Wednesdays of each month. The entrance gate remains closed at other times, although tourists frequently drive to the site to take photographs.

The Amelia Island Lighthouse is one of Fernandina Beach's most significant historic landmarks. Built between 1838 and 1839 using materials from an earlier lighthouse on Cumberland Island, Georgia, it is the oldest existing lighthouse in Florida and the only surviving lighthouse from Florida's Territorial Period. The lighthouse continues to guide vessels entering the St. Marys River and Fernandina Harbor and remains one of the city's most recognizable symbols.

"I talked to (City Commissioner) Genece Minshew, and she told me that the purpose (of new fencing) was to monetize the lighthouse, that we could make a million dollars if we would just allow people to come up and go in the lighthouse, up to the lighthouse, and go onto the grounds of the lighthouse," said Beth Anderson, who owns a house adjacent to the lighthouse entrance.

Beth Anderson

"But to build a way for people to turn around and go back down the hill at all hours of the night, it just doesn't compute. It's kind of concerning to the people who live there."

Minshew clarified her statement following publication of the PRAC meeting.

"What I actually said was that at Hunting Island State Park in SC, they are making almost $1M a year in tours of their historic lighthouse. And, that we are looking at how we could make our lighthouse more accessible and generate some revenue that would be used to maintain our historic lighthouse," she posted on Facebook.

Parks and Recreation Director Scott Mikelson sought to reassure residents that no final plans have been developed.

"The whole goal of this ... is to come up with a plan, and then this is what we're looking to do. And then what is everyone's ideas? What do the neighbors think? What should we do?" Mikelson said.

He explained that the city's immediate focus is replacing deteriorating chain-link fencing around portions of the property and installing pavers around the lighthouse base to improve the appearance of the grounds. He said discussions about expanded public access remain in the early stages.

Mikelson said the city eventually hopes to make the lighthouse "much more user-friendly" and explore opportunities for visitors to access more of the site. One concept under consideration would allow participants in the city's guided lighthouse tours to pay an additional fee, sign a waiver and climb the lighthouse tower, though interior improvements are still needed before that could occur.

"We're not ready yet. We still have some work to do on the interior of the lighthouse," Mikelson said.

He emphasized that city officials have not determined whether future visits would be guided or self-guided, nor have they finalized plans involving gates, parking or visitor access.

"We're in the very infancy of this," Mikelson said. "We're not ready to make a proposal."

Phyllis Crabtree, who lives nearby, told PRAC members that traffic problems already exist because visitors frequently drive-up O'Hagan Lane only to discover the gate is locked.

Phyllis Crabtree

"So they're coming up to the lighthouse, and then somebody else is piling up behind them (on the road), and then they're all backing up. And they've either backed up into my yard, and I've had workers there. They've slammed into workers' vehicles," Crabtree said.

"I sit out there in the yard, and I see car after car after car come up. They pull up. They get out. They take their pictures. And then here we go down the back, backing up. They're either backing up the people's driveways, or they're backing up all the way down onto Lighthouse Circle."

Mikelson acknowledged that the city has discussed various concepts, including potentially relocating a gate farther up the access road and examining whether additional parking could be provided. However, he said concerns about stormwater runoff and neighborhood impacts would have to be evaluated before any decisions are made.

"There has been talks of making that a parking area, but they're just talks right now because with that, that's a runoff area," Mikelson said. "How is that going to affect the neighbors' runoff? So we need to take all that into consideration."

Another homeowner, Patty Sorensen, questioned whether the city has a long-term operational and financial plan for the lighthouse if it is eventually opened more frequently to visitors.

"How are you going to pay for all of this? And what's the long-term goal?" she asked. "You're earning revenue. Where's a budget that shows how are you going to maintain it? You're going to have people in and around the lighthouse. You have to clean, maintain it."

Mikelson responded that much of the lighthouse's preservation work is funded through grants, including assistance from the Florida Lighthouse Association and state historic preservation programs. He said additional revenue generated through expanded access could help the city continue maintaining the structure and provide matching funds required for future grants.

Crabtree also expressed concerns that paving additional areas for parking could worsen existing drainage problems.

"And you can see anytime it rains ... where the runoff is, and it runs right down the street. So you pave something up there, and there's not some kind of system going on. All that water's going to be going somewhere. Water goes downhill, and it's going to go in my yard."

Mikelson told residents they would be included in any future planning process before changes are proposed.

"I just want the neighbors to understand that you guys will be involved in this process," he said. "We will come up with an idea that works for everybody."