The Surf Restaurant, Bar and Beach Motel in Fernandina Beach will shut down its restaurant and bar operations on September 20, 2026, closing the books on nearly 70 years of business along South Fletcher Avenue. The owners announced the decision on social media, and city records already show a builder has filed early plans to redevelop the oceanfront property into a 13-home subdivision.
According to The Florida Times-Union, The Surf's owners made the closure announcement on social media, confirming the restaurant and bar will cease operations on the September 20 date. The property sits at 3199 S. Fletcher Avenue, directly across from the Atlantic Ocean, and currently includes seven distinct structures, with the oldest dating back to 1959, as reported by News-Leader. In their social post, the operators cited heavy competition, soft consumer spending, cost inflation, and internal financial performance issues as the reasons behind the shutdown, according to News4JAX.
Notably, while the restaurant and bar are winding down, the adjacent beach motel will keep operating for an undetermined amount of time after the restaurant closes, according to the same News4JAX report.
A Concept Plan Already Points to 13 New Homes
Even before the restaurant's last night, the land beneath it was already moving toward a very different future. In August 2026, builder Todd Bates submitted a concept plan called “The Surf Residential” to the City of Fernandina Beach Technical Review Committee, proposing to redevelop the site into 13 single-family home sites, according to the Fernandina Observer. The 1.86-acre parcel is owned by FLANSOUTH LLC and is already designated under R-3 high-density residential land use, the outlet notes, meaning the zoning groundwork for residential construction is already in place.
Under the concept plan, the proposed homes would range from roughly 1,435 to 1,833 square feet, each with a private pool, and would be accessed off First Avenue via a 20-foot internal easement, the Fernandina Observer reported in a follow-up story. The filing is preliminary and headed to the City of Fernandina Beach Technical Review Committee for First Step Review, per Citizen Portal. That means the 13-lot plan still faces additional municipal review before anything is finalized.
Not The Surf's First Rebuild
This isn't the first time The Surf has retooled to survive shifting market conditions. In 2018, the restaurant closed for about six months for a renovation that involved demolishing and rebuilding portions of the aging structure, culminating in a grand reopening in June 2018 with a revamped deck, a beach cafe, and an ice cream shop, the Fernandina Observer reported. That earlier overhaul suggests the business had already been adapting to competitive pressure on Amelia Island's dining scene for years before this closure.
Those pressures haven't let up. In December 2025, Amelia Island tourism officials told the Nassau County Tourist Development Council that visitor demand and forward booking pace were showing a noticeable downturn tied to economic headwinds and increased regional competition, according to the Fernandina Observer. The Surf's closure also follows the October 2025 shutdown of Brett's Waterway Café, another long-standing Fernandina Beach waterfront dining landmark that closed after 41 years due to structural building safety issues, as reported by Jacksonville Today.
Together, the two closures mark a rough stretch for Fernandina Beach's waterfront dining scene, even as a 13-home redevelopment has been proposed for The Surf property. For now, the hotel is expected to keep operating for an undetermined amount of time, and whether the 13-home concept plan clears the city's full review process is still an open question heading into the fall.
