Burney Park
Located in a low-income neighborhood, Burney Park American Beach FL provides a relaxing and accessible getaway. This beach has handicap access and is a sanctuary for African-Americans. In addition, it is located in a National Register-listed historic district. If you’ve never been to American Beach, you’re in for a treat. Read more.
Burney Park is a great place to get away
If you’re looking for a beach vacation that’s not overcrowded, Burney Park on Amelia Island is an excellent choice. The park is free of charge and offers amenities like outdoor showers and restrooms. There are also picnic tables and lifeguard towers. Located in historic American Beach, Burney Park is a great place to unwind.
American Beach is located north of Jacksonville in the Amelia Island area. It has a beautiful beach and ample free parking. The parking lot is conveniently located at a major intersection, and you can drive right onto the beach. The park has restrooms and shower facilities near the main parking area. While there are no restaurants or stores, you can purchase barbecue in the parking lot or picnic tables in the gazebo.
It is a haven for African-Americans
In the mid-1950s, black Floridians began staging beachfront wade-ins at white-only beachfront areas. Inspired by the lunch counter sit-ins of the South, these black Floridans created a space to escape the oppressive conditions of segregation. Initially, African-Americans were not welcome, but with desegregation, this changed. While integration promised equality, it also eroded the black spaces created by the Jim Crow era.
Today, American Beach is a quiet little neighborhood with modest vacation homes from the 1930s sharing space with abandoned buildings and vacant lots. Several newer, elegant structures are now rising near the community center. In the past, however, it was a hub for African-American culture and history. It was also a meeting place for notable figures including Hank Aaron, a Major League Baseball legend, and Zora Neale Hurston, a famed writer and poet. Explore more!
It is located in a poor area
Located on the south end of Amelia Island, American Beach is located along A1A between Jacksonville and Fernandina Beach. The National Park Service owns the 8.5-acre sand dune and the Evans Rendevous building, while most of the rest of the beachfront is privately held. There are restrooms and picnic tables at Burney Park, and visitors can use the beach’s free parking lot. However, beachgoing is not recommended in this area because of its killer riptides.
The Beach Community Working Group, led by Mike Mullins, compiled recommendations for an omnibus ordinance and held 16 community meetings with more than 1,600 people. The group, however, has reached the limit of its influence and is set to conduct public workshops in January. While this might seem like a stall tactic, residents of Burney Park have not given up hope.
It is trying to get water and sewer service
The residents of Burney Park in American Beach, FL are desperate for water and sewer service. The American Beach Preservation Association is fighting to bring municipal services to the area. A delegation of the association went to Washington, D.C. to seek congressional support for the project. While many property owners can’t afford to pay for these services themselves, the association hopes to connect the community to the county’s system.
While county officials are trying to find a solution, residents are not getting the answers they are looking for. The county commissioners recently backed down from a plan to slap American Beach residents with a $9,000 property tax bill for a new water system. While some community members were upset at the threat of liens on their homes, the commissioners promised to fully refund property owners who have already paid the taxes. Unfortunately, the process will take several more years to complete. See next.
Driving directions from Glass & Grass to Burney Park
Driving directions from Burney Park to Omni Amelia Island Resort
