American Beach Neighborhood Planning 

Updated 7/13/2022

American Beach is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Since 2018, Nassau County Planning staff have been working closely with the American Beach community to help identify and preserve the unique character of the community.

American Beach, located on the south end of Amelia Island in Nassau County, Florida, has the distinction of being one of the few remaining beach resort communities in the nation developed specifically by and for African-Americans. Developed by the Afro-American Life Insurance Company in 1935, American Beach was until the passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act one of the few beaches in the Southeast available to African-Americans. Even with the increased availability of beach resort opportunities for African-Americans, American Beach continued to survive during the 1960’s and 70’s as a distinctive beach community composed predominately of single family beach cottages. (Source: Historic Building Survey of American Beach, 1998)

American Beach Community Meeting Presentations 2018-2022:

• American Beach Community Meeting presentation 2.27.2021 
• American Beach Community Meeting video 10.24.2020
• American Beach Zoning presentation 10.24.2020
• American Beach Facilities Plan 9.19.2020
• American Beach Zoning Presentation 9.19.2020
• FDEP SRF Draft: American Beach Facilities Plan 9.15.2020
• Presentation from 7/25/20 meeting: SRF Facilities Plan and Special District Update
• Presentation from 6/27/2020 meeting: Well & Septic Tank Phase Out
• Presentation from 1/11/2020 meeting sharing community survey results and potential next steps.
• Handout: Master Plan, Conservation District, and Historic District Examples
• Draft for Discussion: American Beach Zoning Districts Update
• CRA Process and Timeline
• Notice Regarding Household Income Survey 
• Community Redevelopment Area informational handouts presented at the August 24, 2019 community meeting.  
• Local Government Administration
• Planning 101
• County Budget Basics 
• Visit the County Facebook page and click here for the link to watch streaming County meetings. 
• Information on fire protection in American Beach from the Nassau County Fire Chief.
• View presentation from the November 16, 2019 Community Meeting
  
• View a presentation on potential planning strategies for the neighborhood. (June 2018)
• View a presentation made to the Board of County Commissioners on exploring a Community Redevelopment Area in American Beach. The BOCC directed PEO staff to work on exploring this possibility at their 9/19/2018 meeting.