Amelia Island Lighthouse scheduled for repair

Susan Hardee Steger

September 21, 2017 11:00 a.m.

Fresnel Lens Photo courtesy of Marc Williams

Chief Boatswains Mate Casey Curry, Officer in Charge, Aids to Navigation Team, notified City of Fernandina Beach Park & Recreation Director Nan Voit, that work will begin on repairing the lighthouse on September 26, and 27.

Amelia Island's Lighthouse has been dark for six months. In mid March of 2017 during a routine dusting by the local Coast Guard Auxiliary team, one of the twelve bulls-eyes fell out of the 115 year old Fresnel Lens forcing the Coast Guard to stop the rotation and turn off the light. After an inspection and assessment by the U.S. Coast Guard and a Fresnel lens expert, a green light was given to make the necessary repairs and stabilize the lens. There were initial concerns that the Coast Guard might remove the historic lens and place it in a protected environment.