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Fernandina Beach, county staff preview Center Street revitalization plan and funding needs
Summary
City staff laid out a phased revitalization of Center Street and adjacent side streets to restore historic paving, underground utilities and improve ADA accessibility; estimated cost is $10–12 million and phasing depends on utility work.
City staff told the joint meeting that a downtown revitalization effort will replace and unify pedestrian surfaces, repair aging hardscape, address ADA accessibility and underground utilities in coordination with Florida Public Utilities.
Presenters summarized 1970s and 1990s revitalization work that established Center Street’s historic character and said that decades of partial repairs have left a patchwork of materials and failing sidewalk segments. The current design objective is to restore the consistent paving materials, preserve existing mature trees where feasible, increase shade, fix ADA deficiencies and improve pedestrian safety while maintaining the corridor’s historic look.
Staff said the project will be phased, driven by underground utility sequencing, and that Center Street designs are complete with side‑street work to follow. The city reported $1.1 million identified to begin construction and estimated total project costs in the $10–12 million range. Staff said they are coordinating with Florida Public Utilities, which will upgrade and underground electrical infrastructure and ultimately lease finished lighting back to the city/county under a joint approach.
Officials said a funding strategy will be developed and emphasized the goal of maintaining momentum so a multi‑phase project does not stall as it did in the late 1990s.
