Amelia Island Lighthouse goes dark forever?

March 17, 2017 10:33 a.m.

Amelia Island Lighthouse Photo by Dotty Heritage

There is no light coming from the Amelia Island Lighthouse and it is not known when or if the lighthouse will be operational. The Coast Guard is assessing the Fresnel lens to determine the next steps.

An email sent by City Manager Dale Martin to media outlets from Chris Belcher, second generation local historian, member of  the Amelia Island Coast Guard Auxiliary, and president of the  Florida Lighthouse Association told the story.Florida Lighthouse

"The Amelia Island Lighthouse, Florida's oldest operating lighthouse is turning "dark" today.  One of the twelve bulls-eyes in the Fresnel lens fell out during routine dusting by a local Coast Guard Auxiliary team.

U.S. Coast Guard's Aids to Navigation Team inspected the lens and determined it must be turned off (rotation and lamps) until an assessment can be made by a Fresnel lens expert.

Curtains have  been installed to protect the lens from sunlight while it is not rotating.  The Coast Guard will use the expert's assessment to make the decision to either stabilize the lens in place or remove it to a protected environment.  At this time, there are no plans to place a temporary beacon in place of the 115 year old third-order Fresnel Lens."

Chris Belcher