Commercial Truck Insurance in Fernandina Beach, FL

FERNANDINA BEACH, Fla. — A part of the historic expedition that led to the first circumnavigation of the globe is docking at Oasis Marina in Fernandina Beach on Mon., Jan. 15.

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The Nao Trinidad, captained by Ferdinand Magellan, was part of a five-ship armada that made it to the Spice Islands (only two made it). It will now arrive in Fernandina Beach after splitting time in Charleston, South Carolina, and St. Marys, Georgia where an estimated 8,000 visitors boarded the vessel.

“This beautiful replica weighs 150 tons, 93 feet in length, and has a 26-foot beam, three masts, and a bowsprit,” the Nao Victoria Foundation said about the ship coming to Fernandina Beach. “The height of the mainmast is more than 82 feet, five sails, and five decks, built with an exquisite work in Iroko (African hardwood) and pinewood.”

Read: Connecting people and history in this year’s St. Augustine Spanish Food & Wine Festival

The tour aims to teach the ship’s history, its construction, performance, and the historical timeline of its voyages. Visitors will be able to interact with crew members “to keep spreading the maritime heritage.”

About the Nao Victoria Foundation

The Nao Victoria Foundation is a non-profit entity that specializes in sharing the maritime heritage, researching for the recovery, construction and promotion of historical ships, sailing to ports around the world allowing guests to meet history.

The NV Foundation is constantly looking for the historical accuracy combined with innovative techniques in the ship building sector, always following the current international regulations. This represents a massive advance in terms of environmental impact, costs, durability and maintenance of the ships, without affecting their historical aspect, navigability or maneuver.

— Nao Victoria Foundation

The Nao Trinidad will be docked from Jan. 16 until Jan. 28 for visitors to explore.

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Southern charm and holiday trimmings will greet folks once more from Thanksgiving 2023 through New Year’s Day 2024 around Amelia Island, Florida.

Stroll along Fernandina’s Centre Street in the downtown historic district with its extra enchantment during the holiday season. Starting around Thanksgiving week each year (through New Year’s), downtown Fernandina twinkles in white lights creating a fanciful atmosphere.

2023 Holiday Events Happening Around Amelia Island

The Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island Christmas Tree Lighting — Wed., November 22, 2023 (5:30 – 6:30 p.m.)

A wonderful holiday celebration, this special event showcases a 40-foot Christmas tree in seaside setting at Ritz-Carlton. Featuring musical entertainment, Royal Amelia Dance Academy, the arrival of Santa Claus in a train, and the grand FIREWORKS finale. While the celebration begins at 5:30 p.m., allow extra time to park vehicles at Peters Point beach parking lot, then take the complimentary shuttle service over to the Ritz-Carlton. Enjoy fresh baked cookies and cider. A fundraiser for various Nassau County charities, tickets cost $20 (aged 10 and older), 100% of funds donated. Purchase tickets in advance online at Eventbrite website.

Black Friday Downtown Shopping & Pajama Block Party – November 24, 2023 (8 a.m. to 4 p.m.), followed by Fernandina’s Christmas Tree Lighting (4 p.m. to 6 p.m.)

Fernandina’s downtown shops will present special offers and treats while visitors shop from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Join in the festive mood by wearing holiday-themed pajamas. There’s a PJ contest at 11 a.m., and prizes for the best group, best individual and most creative PJs. The 2^nd Street block party features music all day and family-friendly activities.

City of Fernandina Beach Christmas Tree Lighting Celebration — November 24, 2023 (4 p.m. to 6 p.m) —

Happening at the Fernandina Harbor Marina downtown, this year the tree lighting celebration is on Black Friday, Nov. 24, 2023 from 4 p.m. until 6 p.m. The festivities include the Royal Amelia Dancers, music by the Nassau Community Band, S’mores with the Fernandina Pirates, and photos with Santa. The evening’s finale is the Christmas tree lighting at 6 p.m.

December 2023 Holiday Events

Lighted Christmas Parade — December 2, 2023 (6 p.m.)– This very festive, family-friendly annual holiday parade is held in downtown Fernandina Beach featuring lots of lighted floats, marching bands, dancers and decorated vehicles.

Holiday Home Tour – December 1-2,2023 — This two-day event features privately-owned homes professionally decorated for the Christmas season. Home tour visitors hear history and architectural features of each home. The special tour is presented by the Amelia Island Museum of History, an annual fund-raising event. For more info call museum at 904-261-7378, or visit Amelia Island Museum website.

Dickens on Centre – December 7-10, 2023 — This Victorian-era themed Christmas street festival has become a popular annual event in downtown Fernandina Beach featuring entertainment, gift shopping, and many other activities.

Starting with the Dickens Illuminated Procession on Thursday, December 7, 2023 (5 – 7 p.m.), watch or participate in walking lantern parade followed by a 3D drone light show over Fernandina’s downtown riverfront. The Dickens on Centre street festival and marketplace opens the next day on Friday evening, Dec. 8th, and continues through Sunday. Dickens on Centre features stage performances by the Old Train Depot at foot of Centre Street, a Tiny Tim’s Kid Zone, shopping at vendor booths, food and beverages and other special events.

The 3D Drone light show is also happening Friday and Saturday nights, as well. More about Dickens on Centre activities and Festival hours.

Parade of Paws — Saturday, December 9, 2023 (11:00 a.m.)

Pet lovers alert! Don’t miss the Parade of Paws! A fun holiday fundraiser for the Nassau Humane Society, this parade features oodles of adorable doggies and their spirited owners in holiday garb walking along the sidewalk in downtown Fernandina. The 2023 Parade of Paws

New Year’s Eve Shrimp Drop — December 31, 2023 (6 p.m. to 9 p.m.)

Join the community to ring in the New Year 2024 in downtown Fernandina along the riverfront. An annual New Year’s Eve celebration, the evening features food trucks, vendors and some activities for kids. Plus a countdown to ring in the New Year as the symbolic lighted shrimp is dropped in Fernandina, birthplace of the modern shrimping industry in America. Wrapping up this early evening celebration is the grand finale FIREWORKS DISPLAY over the riverfront at 7 p.m., presented by “Light Up Amelia,” the city of Fernandina Beach, and Florida Public Utilities.

Wishing All A Happy New Year 2024!

Every year, the first weekend in May, Amelia Island celebrates the “Isle of Eight Flags Shrimp Festival,” an event attracting well over 100,000 visitors to this barrier island in northeast Florida. (Get info about Fernandina’s Shrimp Festival here.)

In Fernandina Beach, Florida, the birth place of America’s modern shrimping industry, many folks are shrimp savvy. Some are rooted to the shrimping industry, while others have learned the difference of buying “wild-caught domestic shrimp” versus farmed, Asian imports.

Add to Amelia’s beautiful beaches and quaint historic district in Fernandina, the bonus of shrimp boats here in northeast Florida and southeast Georgia waters. Fresh shrimp, recently swimming in the local waters and on plates in a day or less sometimes. Let’s put another check mark in the “good life” column, here in Fernandina Beach.

Wild-caught shrimp is a real treat! Fresh, crunchy, a culinary delight! (But be careful not to overcook shrimp. It only takes a few minutes).

SHRIMP DEMONSTRATION TOUR

A seasonal educational Discovery Tour about shrimping is offered by Amelia River Cruises. What better place than the birthplace of the modern shrimping industry in USA, to take an educational tour about America’s favorite seafood? The Shrimp Demonstration Tours pull a net and dump the contents to show cruise passengers fresh caught shrimp and other sea critters that live in local waters. What a great learning experience for kids and adults alike!

AMERICANS LOVE SHRIMP

The American appetite for shrimp is big. Americans love shrimp, as proven by the fact that it’s the most valuable seafood import to the United States (reportedly over $4 billion). Unfortunately, much of the shrimp we eat are Asian imports, farmed shrimp, not the higher quality wild-caught American shrimp.

BUY WILD-CAUGHT, DOMESTIC SHRIMP

When shrimp is purchased at the supermarket, or ordered off a restaurant menu, consider the origin. Do you presume it’s shrimp from the sea? The odds are against it, since much of the seafood in U.S. stores and restaurants is farmed, not wild-caught. The aquaculture seafood industry is a huge global industry, and reportedly, 80% of shrimp eaten by Americans is imported.

Asian shrimp in the marketplace has helped the decline of the domestic, wild-caught shrimp industry in the US. Today’s American shrimpers are a waning breed, many coming from a long family history in the business — generations of shrimpers. Those catching shrimp the traditional way, wild-caught, fresh from the sea, have had difficulty competing with the flood of Asian imports.

DOMESTIC SHRIMP BOATS DWINDLING

With cheap Asian labor (there are reports that it’s a slave industry in Asia), the global marketplace has been flooded with aquaculture shrimp, putting some wild-caught shrimpers out of business. Those domestic shrimpers who toil at sea to catch fresh shrimp in U.S. waters, the traditional way, are losing their way to earn a living.

LOCAL SEAFOOD MARKET

Stop by Atlantic Seafood, located at the Fernandina Harbor public boat ramp (10 Ash Street, just a block from Centre Street), to buy shrimp. You’ll be rewarded with the great tasting wild-caught shrimp. The other seafood market on Fernandina’s docks, at the end of Front Street on the river, has a “CLOSED” sign on the door. The Fernandina Seafood Market had a great reputation here in town. Perhaps another casualty of Asian shrimp imports?

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

When buying shrimp, know what you’re getting (domestic vs. imported, aquaculture vs. wild-caught). If it costs more for American wild-caught shrimp, isn’t it worth getting a higher-quality product, and at the same time support the American shrimping industry? While the height of the local shrimping season is during the cooler months of the year, wild-caught, domestic shrimp is a product you can buy year round in the U.S. Also consider FDA alerts regarding Asian imported seafood products.

WHEN DINING OUT, ASK FOR WILD-CAUGHT

Many of the finest chefs would agree that wild-caught shrimp is the only type of shrimp to serve discerning diners. For example, Chef Emeril Lagassae of Food Network reportedly uses only wild-caught American shrimp in his restaurants and frozen food products. There’s a certification for Wild American-caught Shrimp. “Certified Wild American” shrimp is a sign of quality — the shrimp harvester or processor has been approved by Wild American Shrimp, Inc. (WASI), having met strict quality standards and passed US environmental and food regulation standards. WASI is the marketing arm of the Southern Shrimp Alliance (SSA). WASI and SSA represent harvesters, processors, and distributors.

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The Fernandina Beach City Commission, acting in its capacity as the Community Redevelopment Agency, agreed to move forward with plans for a park on the Amelia River waterfront.

The CRA Advisory Board met earlier this month, where member Eric Bartelt presented the plan. Bartelt explained that the riverwalk and flood wall are “mostly complete,” and so the next step of developing the waterfront is to create a plan for the open space between the parking lots and the river. He said there were several factors that make the park a good project: It upgrades a blighted area of the CRA, it brings a great improvement at a relatively low cost, the area has been rezoned to Recreation, so the improvements would be appropriate and both the Historic District Council and the Parks and Rec Advisory Board have approved the project. Bartelt also noted the timing, as 2024 is the 200th year of incorporation for both Fernandina Beach and Nassau County.

At the Tuesday CRA meeting, some members of the public spoke, most expressing support for the plan and giving suggestions. Joan Corey suggested an aquarium be added and Joyce Tutin asked the landscaping use only native plants. Louis Goldman said the city could build some storefronts on the property and lease them out in order to bring in revenue. Pete Stevenson said, “We’ve got to move forward. I would like to see the city cut the ribbon on the park on this Jan. 1, 2025.”

The 16 pétanque courts, located on the north end of the park, are the location of an international tournament held annually. Those courts would remain in the park plan and could be used for multiple purposes, such as vendor booths or seating.

Fernandina Beach resident Michael Sharpe spoke to oppose the pétanque court included in the plans. He said three downtown projects, the remodeled Marina Restaurant, the Standard Marine building and plans to raze the current Atlantic Seafood building in order to build a new restaurant, would need additional parking, as do people who operate business out of the Fernandina Harbor Marina. He noted that Commissioner Chip Ross plays pétanque and said he thinks that has affected Ross’s support of the park plans.

“It’s not your world or Ross’s world,” Sharpe told Mayor Bradley Bean. “It’s the taxpayers’ world, and they don’t want this. (Commissioners) Sturges, Antun and Ayscue, you were elected to stop this kind of stuff from happening. This is not the taxpayers’ will in this city. I am asking you to vote ‘no’ on this. It’s the wrong thing for us to do right now.”

Vice Mayor David Sturges also expressed concerns about the pétanque courts.

“I am not a big fan of the pétanque courts,” Sturges said. “I would prefer to see possibly a little hut down there with our local brewers and possibly a dog park. I could see things where people could sit outside with their dogs and have a beer in our park setting. I could see a lot of whole different ideas that would appeal to 50% or 75% of the residents in our city. I understand the recreation side of it. I would prefer to see the pétanque courts in Central Park. I do think we need to do it. I don’t think it needs to be today. However, if the rest of the commission thinks we need to proceed on, I do understand that. I think we could get it done at a later date.”

Commissioner James Antun supported the plan, as did Ross. Commissioner Darron Ayscue’s support could be termed lukewarm and included concern about the pétanque courts.

“I am indifferent to this plan,” Ayscue admitted. “I can agree that the pétanque courts are probably the sticking point for a lot of citizens, but if they stay, I’m OK with that, too. There’s a lot in the plan that works really well, but if it didn’t, we could probably change it in a matter of one or two votes (of the city commission). I agree that having the pétanque courts there on the riverfront is not the best use of that plan; that’s just my opinion. I do know there’s an economic impact with the tournament so I can respect that.”

Mayor Bean pointed to the relatively low cost of the project, and the fact that it could be funded with Parks and Recreation impact fees. He spoke to the issue with the pétanque courts.

“I hear people saying it’s not something that everyone in the community uses, and I completely understand that,” the mayor said. “When I look at that, I don’t just see a pétanque court. I see a place where anything can happen. I think the pétanque courts are the ultimate flexible thing to have there. We have options; it can be used for many different purposes.”

Bean said there were references to the city’s efforts to determine how to use its waterfront property in a story in the Fernandina Observer in the 1800s, and he believes it is time to move forward with a plan.

“We are taking a place in the community that has been neglected, and with just a little bit of money, a small investment, we can turn it into something people will use for many different reasons,” Bean said. “I like the plan. Our river is a beautiful place. It should be open to the public. It should be a place people can go and enjoy our beautiful natural beauty that makes our community what it is.”

The commission voted 4-1 to send the plan to engineers to begin the process of creating a concrete plan, with Vice Mayor Sturges casting the dissenting vote.

jroberts@fbnewsleader.com

Opening its doors on Nov. 14, 2023, Indigo brings a fresh twist on Southern coastal cuisine. Occupying the space previously owned by the renowned Le Clos, Indigo has successfully revamped the beloved restaurant’s Old World charm into a stunning, modern dining experience.

Indigo has gracefully preserved the building’s aesthetics while infusing modern elements to its design. This seamless blend of old and new is evident in the beautiful patio, covered for comfort, and the tastefully updated interior design. Ambiance is king and sets the stage for an elevated dining experience.

Hospitality is not merely a service, but an art form. The staff at Indigo ensures that your dining experience is nothing short of exceptional. From the moment you step in until the time you leave, you are treated with utmost care and attention. The staff’s attentiveness to details, from refilling your glass to ensuring the table’s perfect placement, adds to the overall high-class dining experience.

Indigo’s menu is carefully curated, focusing on quality over quantity. It offers a limited but well-thought-out selection of dishes, with three salads, five appetizers, eight entrees, and three dessert choices. This approach ensures each dish is given the proper love it deserves. If you’re a wine enthusiast, there’s a separate, fully fleshed-out menu just for that.

The appetizers at Indigo offer a variety of flavors to whet your appetite. The lobster mac ‘n cheese, priced at $19, is a standout dish. The mix of butter-poached lobster with orzo, topped with a fried cheese cracker, creates a memorable flavor. Another crowd favorite is the crabcake, a lump of jumbo crab served with a red pepper aioli.

The entrees at Indigo range from $31 to $54, offering a variety of options to cater to different palates. Among the dishes are the lamb rack and the duck breast, both recommended to be served medium rare to retain their juicy flavors. The lamb rack served with lentils and a vegetable ragout, and the duck breast, served with butternut squash and roasted potatoes, both offer an indulgent array of flavors.

To round off your meal, Indigo offers a selection of desserts, each priced at $12. The chocolate bomb, a piece of chocolate cake served with raspberry sorbet, is a must-try for chocolate lovers. Another delightful option is the banana pudding cheesecake, topped beautifully with vanilla wafers. A fun twist on the classic dessert.

Indigo offers more than just a meal; it provides a memorable dining experience. With its high-quality food, exceptional service, and beautiful ambiance, it is the perfect place for special occasions. Though the prices are on the higher end, the experience you get at Indigo justifies the cost.

Indigo has successfully created a dining experience that is both unique and memorable. It has managed to retain the charm of the previous establishment while bringing its own style to the table. Whether you’re celebrating a special occasion or just looking for a unique dining experience, Indigo is a restaurant worth trying.

If you’d like to make a reservation, you can do so by visiting their website. Their Facebook page has a picture of the menu.

Indigo

Address: 20 S. Second St., Fernandina Beach

Phone: 904-261-8100

Open: Tues. – Sat. 5:30-9 p.m.