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Florida Lighthouses
Ponce Inlet Lighthouse
Standing 175 feet tall, the tallest lighthouse in Florida is the red brick Ponce de Leon Inlet Light Station, located 12 miles south of Daytona Beach. The three windows on its tower and distinctive black top make the Ponce Inlet Lighthouse easy to recognize. Flashing every ten seconds, its light reaches out 16 nautical miles. Historical tours of the lighthouse and grounds are available year round. Visitors also enjoy the gift shop and trails adjacent to the Lighthouse.
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St. Augustine Lighthouse
The St. Augustine Lighthouse is on the north end of Anastasia Island, within the current city limits of St. Augustine, Florida. The tower is owned by the St. Augustine Lighthouse & Museum Inc., a not-for-profit maritime museum and private aid-to-navigation. Open to the public, admissions support continued preservation of the Lighthouse and fund programs in maritime archaeology and education.
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Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse
The most notable landmark in the city of Jupiter is the Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse, located on the northern bank of the Loxahatchee River in Jupiter Lighthouse Park. The Lighthouse is so synonymous with the city of Jupiter that it is often used as its symbol. The old oil house has been converted to a historical museum, and a gift shop was also added for visitors. The Loxahatchee Historical Society has been offering public tours of the lighthouse since 1994.
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Hillsboro Lighthouse
The Hillsboro Lighthouse has helped mariners find their way since 1907. Today the historic lighthouse stands as a reminder to a day when GPS was not available. There are several spots along the beach north of Fort Lauderdale that offer visitors wonderful views of the lighthouse with the opportunity to take pictures.
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Sanibel Island Lighthouse
The Sanibel Lighthouse was built in 1884 along with two companion buildings that were use to house the Keepers and their families, incidentally these are the oldest buildings in Sanibel near Fort Myers. There are 127 steps that take you to the top tower where the electrical light, installed in 1962, shines out over the gulf. In 1952 a T.V. antenna was put on the top giving Sanibel residents their first television programs. In 1939 the coast Guard took over running the lighthouse from the United States and now the city of Sanibel operates the lighthouse on Sanibel Island property due to an agreement between them and the Coast Guard. The Sanibel Island Lighthouse is about 98 feet tall and was first lit in 1884 by a third-order Fresnel lens.
Key West Lighthouse
After the Coast Guard decommissioned the Key West Lighthouse in 1969, it was turned over to Monroe County, which in turn leased it to the Key West Arts and Historical Society. The Society now operates the lighthouse and its surrounding buildings as a museum in Key West. Once 46 feet high, the lighthouse is now 86 feet high and powered by 15 oil lamps. Open daily, the Key West Lighthouse and Keeper's Quarters Museum is located one block off of Duval Street on Whitehead Street.
Cape Canaveral Lighthouse
The Cape Canaveral Lighthouse is a working aid to navigation, standing 145 feet tall and visible for 18 miles. After it was originally built, shore erosion became a problem; by 1880 the lighthouse was just 70 feet from the water. So in 1892, an 18-month relocation began for Cape Canaveral Lighthouse, bringing it to its current location. In 1960 its light was automated and its lens was removed. The old Cape Canaveral Lighthouse lens is currently on display at the Ponce de Leon Lighthouse Museum. Ownership of Cape Canaveral Lighthouse has been transferred from the Coast Guard to the United States Air Force at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS). At this time, the Lighthouse on Cape Canaveral is not open to the public however trips may be arranged.
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Pensacola Lighthouse
Located near the entrance to Pensacola Bay and 190 feet above sea level, stands the black and white tower of the Pensacola Lighthouse. The light flashes white every minute and can be seen 27 miles out at sea. The lighthouse is on located on the Pensacola Naval Air Station; and in 1914 when the federal government established Pensacola as it's first training base for naval aviators, some thought the lighthouse might be too tall and therefore be a hazard. That turned out not to be the case; in fact, pilots now use it as a checkpoint. The lighthouse itself currently remains operational.
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Egmont Key Lighthouse
The Egmont Key Lighthouse is 133' tall and can be seen for 22 miles. The light flashes every 15 seconds and a foghorn operates during poor visibility. The Egmont Key Lighthouse was completed in 1857. Fort De Soto Park is made up of five offshore islands, or 'keys', known as Madelaine Key, St. Jean Key, St. Christopher Key, Bonne Fortune Key and the main island, Mullet Key, which are located at the southern tip of St. Petersburg and are accessible by a toll road from the mainland.
Amelia Island Lighthouse
In 1802, the Georgia General Assembly gave six acres on the southern tip of Cumberland Island to the U.S. Government for a lighthouse, this land was the southernmost point in the U.S. on Atlantic coast at that time because Florida was under Spanish rule, it then took eighteen years before the lighthouse was complete in 1820. Maybe if the U.S. had controlled Florida before the lighthouse was built it would have been built on Amelia Island, instead of Cumberland Island and it never would have had to have been moved. However in 1838 the lighthouse was dismantled brick by brick and shipped across the river to be reconstructed atop the highest spot on Amelia Island, where the beacon was likely more visible to help guide ships into the St. Mary's River and along the Atlantic Coast.
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