Want Peg Leg Pete Repaired? Get 1% of our bed tax contributions to pay for it

Commentary

Fernandina Beach contributes roughly $2.85 million a year in Tourist Development (bed) taxes. Even if just one percent of that contribution came back to the city, it would equal $28,500 — more than enough to repair Peg Leg Pete, our iconic wooden pirate statue that has welcomed visitors for five decades.

But instead, Mayor James Antun has been reduced to launching a community fundraising drive to save one of the city’s most recognizable symbols. The city’s budget has no room for the repair, and the county’s bed-tax allocations as usual offer no help.

The bed tax numbers speak for themselves. According to the Nassau County 2025–26 budget, the Amelia Island Tourist Development Council (AITDC) will spend this year’s $12 million bed-tax revenue on:

• $5 million to Starmark International for paid media buying/creative development

• $2.1 million for trade shows and international travel

• $1.6 million for research/administration

• $500,000 for Dickens on Centre Street

• $485,000 on beach cleanup

• $170,000 to Hayworth Creative, a PR firm to work with local industry partners and media

• $102,000 to Florida First Coast Golf for regional golf tourism marketing

• $250,000 to Cellet Travel Services for destination marketing

• $250,000 Fernandina Beach Main Street

• $250,000 Annual Shrimp Drop

• $65,000 Ritz Carlton Amelia Island Cookout

These are major funding commitments. Yet not one dollar is earmarked for the preservation, maintenance, or restoration of historic tourism-related assets in Fernandina Beach.

No line item for downtown heritage landmarks. No funding for historic buildings that draw visitors. No allocation for public art tied directly to the city’s tourism identity. Nothing for Peg Leg Pete, rotting, cracking and falling apart outside the Amelia Island Museum.

The one million-plus tourists walk the uneven downtown sidewalks and sit on the cracking brick walls. Yet not one penny comes from the TDC to help.

This ongoing funding gap by the county really matters.

Fernandina’s historic district, waterfront, museums, and cultural icons are the reason tourists stay here, spend here, and pay the bed tax in the first place. The county markets Amelia Island as a destination built on charm, authenticity, and history. Yet the mechanisms for reinvesting tourism dollars into those very assets simply do not exist.

And the argument could be made that the current divisive Paid Parking issue is necessitated in part to fund renovations of historic downtown which wouldn't be required if the city got its "fair share" of bed tax money.

The imbalance is appalling.

The city that produces 25% of the bed-tax revenue cannot access even a modest portion of it to protect the features that generate that revenue.

This is not a dispute over beach renourishment or marketing. Both are vital. It is a question of fairness.

At the August meeting of the Tourist Development Council, City Commissioner Tim Poynter asked the board to endorse using bed tax funds generated in Fernandina Beach for city specific tourist related projects.

His request was tabled until the TDC's meeting on Dec. 10.

"Shouldn't bed tax funds stay within the city. Isn't an historic downtown, buildings and iconic structures part of the TDC mission of putting heads in beds?" Poynter said.

He suggested the Fernandina Pirates Club approach the TDC for the funds to restore Peg Leg Pete.

To that point, Fernandina Beach should not have to organize donation drives to preserve the symbols of its own tourist economy. When a city contributes nearly $3 million annually, receiving zero support for preserving its historic tourism infrastructure undermines the entire purpose of the Tourist Development Tax.

Peg Leg Pete is only the latest example. Without a change in policy, it will not be the last.

The County Commission controls the bed-tax allocations. If they want Fernandina’s tourism economy to remain strong, they should dedicate a predictable share of the TDC budget to maintaining and preserving the city’s historic, visitor-driven assets.

As it stands today, Fernandina gives millions. Its historic downtown and landmarks get nothing.