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Deputy city manager outlines lighthouse restoration, funding and near-final beach-harmonization plans
Summary
Deputy City Manager Jeremiah Glisten told the Parks & Recreation Advisory Committee that phase 2 of the lighthouse restoration will finish by mid-April, a phase‑3 grant has been requested for fiscal 2027, and the beach-harmonization project is about 90% designed and largely funded by tourism tax dollars.
Jeremiah Glisten, the city’s deputy city manager, told the Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee on March 10 that the city is finishing phase 2 of its lighthouse restoration and is seeking additional state grant funding for follow-up work.
“Phase 2 is underway now. This is the tedious removal of paint from the interior brick, and that project is scheduled to be complete by mid‑April,” Glisten said. He added that staff has applied for a special‑category historic grant for phase 3, which would fund additional interior repointing work in fiscal year 2027.
Glisten reviewed past funding sources and the city’s current investment, saying the exterior restoration drew roughly $130,125 from the Florida Lighthouse Association and about $500,000 from a special‑category grant, and that the city has committed roughly $100,000 from its capital improvement fund to the current interior work. “It also shows the state that we are committing our own funds to this project, not just relying on grant appropriations,” he said.
The deputy city manager framed the work as both preservation and revenue strategy. “These improvements will ready the lighthouse for a couple decades, before major improvements are needed again and also to better market this facility so that it can become self supporting,” Glisten said.
Glisten also reported that the city’s beach‑harmonization effort — a multi‑site project covering seven Amelia Island beach parks — is nearly 90% designed, that permitting through the Florida Department of Environmental Protection is largely complete, and that the work is largely funded through tourism‑development tax dollars. He told the committee to expect more discussion at the City Commission level in coming months and said construction could begin toward the end of the calendar year, depending on cost allocations and contractor procurement.
On routine shore work, Glisten said two separate operations are in progress: the annual channel dredging, which was completed, and a separate beach‑tilling operation tied to Nassau County shoreline stabilization that will take about 10 days. He said contractors have agreed to avoid seaside parking areas, keep vehicle lanes near the dune open for emergency access and limit weekend operations to reduce conflicts with beachgoers.
The committee did not vote on any lighthouse or beach‑harmonization resolutions at the meeting. Glisten said staff will continue to pursue grant funding and will bring scheduling and cost details to the commission as they are finalized.
What’s next: staff expects to seek additional grant awards and to present cost‑share figures to the City Commission before finalizing a construction timeline.
