St. Augustine Lighthouse will not shine tonight

Executive Director Kathy Fleming informed Historic City News that a temporary service problem has occurred that will require the St. Augustine Lighthouse to remain dark while a non-functioning motor is repaired.

The motor turns the historic Fresnel lens around the lamp and is essential to the operation of the lighthouse. Such repairs are normal for lighthouses because moving parts, no matter how well maintained, are bound to wear out.

“It’s a good time to reflect on what life would be like without our guiding light and to thank our friends for their support,” Fleming said. “Our staff lighthouse keeper, Rick Cain, is responsible to repair and replace the motor and keep the light shining for St. Augustine — there is nothing to worry about.”

The lighthouse at St Augustine is a private aid-to-navigation, however Cain notified the Mayport Coast Guard station Thursday of the outage, as required.

Although some outages can be lengthy as keepers attempt to locate service parts which are not always in stock, and others have to be fabricated by hand or to exact specification, this motor is believed to be reasonably available.

“The good news is that our record of repair is excellent,” Fleming told local reporters. “The Lighthouse Keeper just wanted to inform your readers of our intention to be back up and running as soon as possible.”