For 41 years, Brett's Waterway Cafe operated at 1 S. Front St., in a city-owned building that extended over the Amelia River. It closed on October 4, 2025. This fall, Fernandina Beach officials named the final week of October as the likely window for tearing it down, as the News-Leader reported.
Demolition is the loudest part of the Fernandina Harbor Marina redevelopment, but it is the smallest piece of the work. Under Brett's, and along the riverfront on either side of it, is a seawall the city puts at about 100 years old. City officials believe its tie-back support system has rusted through. Project manager Glen Akramoff described the restaurant's foundation at a July stakeholder meeting, as reported by Florida NewsLine: "The conditions underneath Brett's are so bad that engineers won't even go down there."
That is why the building comes down first. Crews can't rebuild a wall they can't reach.
The order of work
The City Commission approved the project 5-0 on July 21 under Resolution 2026-92. The construction contract, worth about $9.66 million, went to Baker Consulting & Engineering LLC, doing business as Baker Design Build, a Jacksonville firm. City documents say parts of the old restaurant's piling system have already fallen into the Amelia River. That is a safety problem, and it also disrupts how water flows through the basin.
The city laid out the sequence at that July meeting, as Florida NewsLine reported:
- Move boats out of the construction areas into temporary slips.
- Demolish the former Brett's Waterway Cafe.
- Rebuild the seawall.
- Dredge the marina basin.
- Rebuild the docks and fueling facilities, and build a new over-water pier.
Each step depends on the one before it. The seawall work also comes before the parts of the project people will see when it's done. The plans include pulling out extra pilings and other structures to improve water circulation and open up public views of the river. The city describes the goal as opening the view corridor from Centre Street to the Amelia River. The view people know from the foot of Centre Street will change because the wall under it is being replaced.
For now, the waterfront runs from south of Centre Street
The Amelia Island Signal reported in mid-October that Baker Design Build had begun mobilizing and that Parking Lot A was fenced off and closed. The marina stays open throughout construction, though the city says temporary interruptions and changes to public access are possible. Day to day, most of the waterfront's business has moved a block or so south.
| What you're looking for | Where it was | Where it is during construction |
|---|---|---|
| Marina Ship Store | Marina | 17 S. Front St., in the former Boaters' Lounge, open daily 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. |
| Amelia River Cruises tickets | 1 N. Front St. | Parking Lot B on South Front Street, south of the work zone and across the railroad tracks from the Hampton Inn & Suites |
| Fuel | Permanent fuel dock | Temporary fuel barge between Docks A and B |
| Parking Lot A | Open | Fenced for heavy-equipment staging |
| Turnaround at the foot of Centre Street | Open | Closed |
The Signal reports that the Pirate Voyages ticket kiosk also moved to Parking Lot B. The Pirate Voyages contact page still lists check-in on the south portion of the marina boardwalk at 3 Front Street. If you have guests booked for a sail, confirm the check-in point with the operator before you head downtown.
North of the old restaurant, July plans called for Docks A and B to close and the boardwalk from Brett's northward to close, with memorial benches in the affected areas put into storage, according to Action News Jax. The city's safety plan at that point included a covered pedestrian walkway to keep the marina reachable, plus cameras on the work area. The city was also considering set public-access hours during construction. These were plans as of July. Signage on site is the best guide to which ones are in place on a given day.
Boat owners have a separate set of changes. The July plan called for boats in the work areas to receive temporary slip assignments and to be moved before August 18, with some slips usually leased to transient or seasonal boaters set aside for those displaced boats. Anyone expecting visiting friends to arrive by boat this winter should ask the marina office about transient availability early.
Downtown streets get a break from the heavy work. Contaminated or otherwise unsuitable demolition debris is planned to leave by barge. When trucks are needed, they are expected to use Ash Street, not Centre Street.
Who is paying, and the dates to watch
The city authorized a total project cost of $12,582,900.83. That covers construction plus construction administration, inspections and contingency. Florida NewsLine reported how the July plan breaks down:
- A state resiliency grant reimbursing up to $4 million for the seawall
- A Florida Inland Navigation District grant covering up to 50% of eligible dredging costs
- $7 million from the city's line of credit
- $1.5 million in paid parking revenue
- Funding from marina operations
The dredging piece became concrete in October. At the October 20 commission meeting, Florida Inland Navigation District Commissioner Cathy Chapman presented a symbolic check for a $450,000 dredging grant, as reported by the News-Leader on October 22. Paid parking downtown ends November 18. The parking revenue on this list was already budgeted for the marina.
The tentative completion date is December 3, 2027. The contract allows 478 calendar days and includes financial penalties if the contractor runs over. Akramoff said he doesn't expect significant delays unless the project hits extraordinary circumstances. He named the two biggest risks as the conditions under Brett's and unknown conditions along the existing seawall. Amelia River Cruises' August relocation notice gives a longer window, with work starting shortly after Labor Day 2026 and running through January 2028. It's safer to plan around the later date.
The first holiday season around a construction zone
Most of the downtown holiday calendar takes place on Centre Street, Ash Street and the new park to the north. All of these dates are from the Amelia Island holiday events listing as of mid-October:
- November 27: Historic Downtown Fernandina Beach Tree Lighting
- December 5: Lighted Christmas Parade on Centre Street and Ash Street
- December 10: Tidings and Twinkle, a new event at Amelia River Waterfront Park
- December 11 to 13: Dickens on Centre in the historic district, with a 2026 event map posted
- December 31: New Year's Eve Shrimp Drop, with fireworks over Fernandina Harbor Marina
The Shrimp Drop is the one that puts the work zone in view. This year's New Year's fireworks go up over a basin partway through demolition and seawall work. The holiday listing doesn't give an exact spot for the tree lighting beyond downtown, so check the final details closer to November 27.
The next major waterfront event is the Isle of Eight Flags Shrimp Festival, scheduled for April 30 to May 2, 2027. The parade is on Thursday, April 29, at 6 p.m., and food booths are planned along the waterfront. By then the project should be well into seawall and dredging work. The festival FAQ doesn't yet say how the layout will account for construction.
What the finished waterfront adds
When the work is done, the riverfront will have a new seawall, a dredged basin, new docks, rebuilt fueling facilities and an over-water pier. The building that stood at 1 S. Front St. for four decades won't be replaced. The new pier is designed so a marina building could be added later, but commissioners have not approved one. To track the work, the city said in July that an on-site inspector would prepare daily progress reports, with weekly summaries posted on its Marina Redevelopment page. The main contacts are Marina Manager Chris Ferguson and Downtown District Coordinator Katie Newton.
If you own near the downtown waterfront or are weighing a place within walking distance of it, the next 14 months will change how that walk looks and works. I'm happy to talk through how the marina timeline fits your plans, in English or Spanish. Maria Pinto Malek. Let's connect.
