Lighthouse beacon back on

The U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, District 7, Flotilla 14-1 announced the beacon in the Amelia Light has officially been restored and is now active as an aid to navigation. Located at the northern end of Amelia Island, the Amelia Island Light is the oldest existing lighthouse in Florida. The light was nonfunctional for 18 months due to mechanical failure.

Located inland on a hill overlooking Egans Creek, the light marks the St. Marys Entrance, the inlet leading to St. Marys River, Cumberland Sound and the harbor of Fernandina Beach. The white light flashes every 10 seconds, which turns red from 344 degrees to 360 degrees when covering the shoal water in the vicinity of Nassau Sound. The lighthouse is listed as number 565 in the United States Coast Guard light list.

The tower for the light, formerly on Cumberland Island, was relocated and rebuilt on Amelia Island in 1838. The new light was originally equipped with 14 lamps, each with a 14-inch reflector when first lit in 1839. The reflector size was increased to 15 inches by 1848. This arrangement was replaced by a third-order Barbier Benard Fresnel lens in 1903, which is still used to this day.

The ownership of the lighthouse tower and grounds was transferred from the USCG to the City of Fernandina Beach in 2001. However, the Coast Guard retained ownership and responsibility for the function of the beacon. The USCG Auxiliary District 7 14-1, stationed at the lighthouse grounds, maintains the beacon with a group of trained lighthouse volunteers.

District 7 is the largest of the 16 Coast Guard Districts nationwide, with over 4,000 dedicated volunteers. The Auxiliary is dedicated to supporting the active-duty Coast Guard in all its missions except for direct law enforcement.

The Amelia Light is not open to the public except on Saturdays when just the grounds are open.

The CGAUX is the uniformed volunteer arm of the Coast Guard, and its mission is to support the Active-Duty Coast Guard in all its missions except for direct law enforcement. The CGAUX was created by U.S. Congressional legislation on June 23, 1939. The United States Coast Guard Auxiliary is Semper Paratus (Always Ready). The main goal of the Auxiliary is to improve recreational boating safety and education while acting as a force multiplier in support of USCG-authorized missions. The District 7 Division 14 Auxiliary covers the waterways of Northeast Florida from Kings Bay through Jacksonville and St. Augustine and south to Palatka along the St. Johns River.