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. This important financial support is provided through the Gene Oakes Lighthouse Preservation and Hib Casselberry Lighthouse Education Grant programs. Both grant programs are funded in their entirety through the sale of the FLA’s Visit Our Lights specialty license plate which is available to all Florida motor vehicle owners.

The Florida Lighthouse Association has approved more than $1,000,000 in combined lighthouse preservation, restoration, and educational program grant funding to qualifying organizations across the state since the Visit Our Lights specialty license plate was first introduced in 2008. Florida Lighthouses that have directly benefitted from this important fund-raising program include:

1. Alligator Reef Lighthouse
2. Amelia Island Lighthouse
3. Anclote Key Lighthouse
4. Cape Canaveral Lighthouse
5. Cape Florida Lighthouse
6. Cape St. George Lighthouse
7. Cape San Blas Lighthouse
8. Cedar Key Lighthouse
9. Crooked River Lighthouse
10. Egmont Key Lighthouse
11. Fowey Rock Lighthouse
12. Gasparilla Island Lighthouse
13. Hillsborough Inlet Lighthouse
14. Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse
15. Mayport Lighthouse
16. Pensacola Lighthouse
17. Ponce De Leon Inlet Lighthouse
18. Port Boca Grande Lighthouse
19. Sanibel Island Lighthouse
20. St. Augustine Lighthouse
21. St. Johns River Lighthouse
22. St. Marks Lighthouse

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

Jon Hill has served as the CEO/Executive Director of the Pensacola Lighthouse and Maritime Museum in Pensacola, Florida since 2009. He has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Anthropology/History & Maritime Studies from the University of West Florida. He has also studied Museology & Organizational Management at Northwestern University. During his tenure, the Pensacola Lighthouse has seen phenominal growth and undergone major, historic restoration.

Regarding the Lighthouse Renovation project, Jon says, “This was the most complicated project I’ve had the pleasure to manage. There were a lot of moving parts and multiple contractors from out of state that were brought together to make this restoration possible. To keep things interesting we had multiple buildings getting new custom roofs in the midst of hurricane season.

In 2017, when the Lighthouse desperately need an administration building, Jon and his team worked to get that done. “We needed an administration building for the museum.” Says Jon, “This project started with a photo of a building that was once on the property, and the proverbial back of the napkin drawing of a suitable floor plan. After a year of budgeting and planning and securing the funds, we broke ground on a replica of the Fort McCree Buoy Tender’s Cottage. For the immediate future it will house the offices, but it was built to easily be converted to either an income generating bed-n-breakfast or additional exhibit space.”

Jon is no stranger to the restoration needs of Florida’s Lighthouses. And his experiences in Pensacola make him well suited to lead the Florida Lighthouse Association into the future.

From the President

Come explore Florida’s lighthouses! Florida didn’t gain statehood until 1845 but there were already 13 lighthouses and 2 lightships protecting our coast and keys. Regrettably, only two of those lighthouses are still standing (Amelia Island and St. Marks). Today, there are 30 lighthouse towers dotted along our 1,350 miles of coastline and 113 miles of keys. These lighthouses need your support and all need continuing restoration work so they will be preserved for future generations.

Florida Lighthouse Association (FLA) is a not-for-profit membership organization. Our members play a critical role in our mission of preserving, restoring, protecting and defending Florida’s remaining lighthouse towers. By joining FLA, you support our mission and will enjoy our three membership meetings that end with a lighthouse visit. Speakers include local historians and sometimes, keeper’s descendants.

Run by a volunteer Board of Directors, FLA supports lighthouse organizations through knowledge sharing and two types of grants. Financial support for FLA’s mission comes from membership dues, charitable gifts and “Visit our Lights” license plate sales.

You can protect Florida’s lighthouses! Here’s how…

• Become a member and support FLA’s mission.
• Make a charitable gift to FLA – gifts from individuals play a major role in helping us operate as an organization and finances our educational and support grants.
• Florida residents buy our specialty license plate for your car. We receive $25 for each new “Visit Our Lights” plate and renewals. FLA commits 90% of these proceeds to grants for Florida lighthouse groups’ 
• historic restoration and preservation efforts.
• Volunteer to serve on a committee.
• Visit a Florida lighthouse.

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!

Jon Hill
President