Fernandina Beach Scales Back Marina Redevelopment, Cites Cost Concerns

Project funding and marina management key developments

The Plan: Dock 'A' would be extended to connect with the main walkway to the marina docks

In a decisive move Tuesday night, Fernandina Beach city commissioners chose to pursue a scaled-back redevelopment plan for the downtown marina, despite public support for a more ambitious vision that included a large deck, pavilion, and restaurant.

The commission voted to move forward with a basic extension of floating dock ‘A’ and a simple walkway atop the newly rebuilt bulkhead. The decision follows months of debate and public input after the planned demolition of Brett’s Waterway Café, a longtime fixture on the riverfront.

In May, city engineering consultants Passero Associates presented six redevelopment options, including a proposal for a 2,000-square-foot restaurant, viewing deck, and pavilion — estimated at $8 million. Residents who responded to a city survey overwhelmingly supported that plan.

But commissioners expressed serious concerns about long-term maintenance and upfront costs.

“Once you put things in the water, it’s maintenance,” said Vice Mayor Darron Ayscue. “There is an additional cost that comes with everything. That’s just a fact. I think getting back to zero is the best thing we can do — it’s the least costly. It gets us to where we need to be.”

Commissioner Tim Poynter echoed those sentiments, warning against repeating past mistakes.

"I think in this case less is more and my concern is going out into the water slowing down the water, putting the piers (in place) and doing the doing the exact thing we've been dealing with for the last 45 years - let's put some more piers in and slow down the (river) water some more so we can dredge some more," he said. "There's no reason that it (a deck) necessarily has to be all over the water. You could have a nice deck on the land side and so you you've got your wall with a little cantilevered out over the thing and there's your deck and you're coming back onto the land and now you're not impacting anything and you're getting more boat slips for (more) revenues, which I think is a great idea."

Passero Associates estimated the cost of demolishing Brett’s and constructing a new bulkhead with a boardwalk and guardrail at $3.88 million to $5.2 million. The floating dock extension is projected to cost between $300,000 and $360,000.

Despite the pared-down plan, the city is still making major moves to support broader marina and waterfront improvements:

• Oasis Marina Management will remain in place for another year during dock reconstruction.

• $4 million in state grant funding was secured in the recently signed 2025–26 Florida budget for the flood protection wall.

• The commission approved applying for a $7 million line of credit to help finance future riverfront upgrades in needed..

• Commissioners also greenlit $266,000 in funding for Passero Associates to continue work on the marina rebuild.

The Passero design for extending floating dock 'A' and bulkhead rebuild

Why the commission went with Option One

Commissioners were not only concerned with limiting the cost of the redevelopment, but also the impact of placing a boardwalk over the river. Even the design of the replacement boardwalk and guardrails over the new bulkhead under Option One had the structure over the river supported by pier pilings.

The substructure supporting Brett's over time has prevented tidal flows to the south end of the marina resulting in massive buildup of silt in the marina basin. The condition has resulted in the city having to pay $1 million to dredge the marina about every two years so boats can get in and out of the south docks.

"I'm in favor of less. Doing it concerns me with the deck going out and the pier (pilings) but I have no issues with doing a deck on the land side of it and just keep it out of the water the best we can," Poynter said.

Commissioner Joyce Tuten added that having less structure over the river would decrease exposure to potential damage from future storms and hurricanes.

"I'll add for what I would imagine the insurance costs for anything larger and also resiliency costs when I had to remind myself when hurricane Mathew came through it was only a category two when it passed us and the damage it brought to the marina. We will have that happen again and the less we have hanging out over the water, the less we will have to pay for future repairs," she said. "My strong desire is that the walkway does not hang over the water, that it is landward the way it is at the waterfront park, again because of resiliency that when that storm comes."

Deputy City Manager Jeremiah Glisson cautioned that placing a concrete walkway similar to the one on the south end of the marina property would add additional costs to the project and also take up considerable property space.

"If you do move that (boardwalk) in on land you significantly shrink that open public space. You're looking at about 7,000 square-feet of lost usable space," Glisson said. "You lose a lot of walkable space, even maybe some loss of parking space."

Protecting the marina from storm damage was also top of mind for Commissioner Genece Minshew.

"I think it (the boardwalk) needs to be consistent, and I think it needs to be as resilient as possible so if we lose a little space or we lose a few parking places then that's what we need to do I think to protect the marina and protect the investment," she said.