Florida’s maritime heritage is central to understanding Florida’s culture and way of life. Lighthouses played a critical role in Florida’s history, making it possible to explore, settle, and develop Florida by using its 1,350 miles of coastline. Of the approximate 62 lighthouses that were constructed in the Sunshine State between 1824 and 1954, only 30 survive to this day. Those that remain are too important to lose to unnecessary neglect.

The Florida Lighthouse Association’s (FLA) mission is to safeguard Florida’s remaining lighthouses for future generations by supporting community-based restoration, preservation, and education efforts. One of the ways the FLA achieves this important mission is by providing direct financial support to non-profit organizations, municipalities, and county/state government entities that are actively engaged in the restoration, preservation, and operation of historic lighthouses across the state. 

Nearly $2,000,000 in FLA grant funding has been awarded to qualifying lighthouse organizations since the Florida Lighthouse Association was officially incorporated in 1996. All FLA grant funds are generated through both the sale of the Visit Our Lights specialty license plate and private donations. Florida Lighthouses that have directly benefitted from the FLA's Grants-in-Aid program include:

1. Amelia Island Lighthouse: $197,240
2. Anclote Key Lighthouse: $15,000
3. Cape Canaveral Lighthouse: $95,768
4. Cape Florida Lighthouse: $200,000
5. Cape St. George Lighthouse: $62,225
6. Cape San Blas Lighthouse: $98,500
7. Cedar Key Lighthouse: $47,293
8. Crooked River Lighthouse: $71,750
9. Egmont Key Lighthouse: $15,100
10. Fowey Rock Lighthouse: $33,250
11. Gasparilla Island Lighthouse: $67,462
12. Hillsborough Inlet Lighthouse: $58,000
13. Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse: $184,200
14. Mayport Lighthouse: $300
15. Pensacola Lighthouse: $290,247
16. Ponce De Leon Inlet Lighthouse: $173,356
17. Port Boca Grande Lighthouse: $171,365
18. Sanibel Island Lighthouse: $2,244
19. Sombrero Key Lighthouse: $3,000
20. St. Augustine Lighthouse: $141,250
21. St. Marks Lighthouse: $37,875

Our Mission

The Florida Lighthouse Association's mission is to safeguard Florida's remaining historic lighthouses for future generations by supporting community-based restoration, preservation, and education efforts.

Meet the President

Michael Bennett has been an active Florida Lighthouse Association (FLA) member since 2007. His volunteer contributions to the FLA have included serving as the official delegate for the Ponce De Leon Inlet Lighthouse and Museum since 2010, as the former chair of the FLA's Grants Committee, and as the current FLA president. 

Michael was born and raised in Daytona Beach, Florida, and served in the US military for ten years before earning degrees in Education and History from the University of Central Florida in 1999. Following graduation, Mike worked as a middle/high school history teacher and then as the assistant principal of a private school for at-risk youth. He accepted his current position as the Director of Operations at the Ponce De Leon Inlet Lighthouse and Museum in 2006.

From the President

The State of Florida is rich in maritime history. With more than 1,300 miles of coastline stretching from Cumberland Sound to Pensacola Bay, it is no wonder that the Sunshine State has been home to more than 60 lighthouses since the founding of St. Augustine in 1565. Although many of these towers have been lost to time, 31 historic Florida beacons exist to this day. 

Many of these surviving lighthouses now serve as public museums and historic sites maintained and operated by non-profit preservation groups, municipalities, or county/state/federal parks and agencies. Most can be viewed from several locations and 18 can currently be visited by the public daily or on specific days of the week or month, with or without reservations. 

I encourage you to support the ongoing restoration, preservation, and interpretation of Florida’s historic lighthouses by visiting as many of these historic beacons as possible and in doing so, directly assist the organizations that maintain and manage them. You can also help ensure that these historic beacons will continue to shine for generations to come by becoming a member of the Florida Lighthouse Association (FLA). 

Florida Lighthouse Association (FLA) is a not-for-profit, all-volunteer, membership organization. Our members play a critical role in our mission of helping safeguard Florida’s remaining historic lighthouses by supporting community-based restoration, preservation, and educational efforts. You can learn more about becoming an FLA member and the many benefits our members enjoy by visiting our Membership page. 

You can also support Florida's historic lighthouses by purchasing a Visit Our Lights specialty license plate with your next vehicle purchase or replacing your current tag with a Visit Our Lights tag at the time of your annual registration renewal. This unique license plate features a beautiful watercolor rendering of the Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse designed specifically for the Florida Lighthouse Association. 100% of the proceeds generated by the sale of this specialty plate ($25 per plate) are used by the FLA to fund its Gene Oakes Lighthouse Preservation and Hib Casselberry Educational Grant programs which have contributed more than two million dollars to lighthouse preservation, restoration, and educational projects across the State to date. 

Thank you for visiting our site and for your interest in lighthouses. Your opinion matters – please send me your comments: President@FloridaLighthouses.org.

Please help keep our lights bright!

Michael Bennett
President