Local

Photos by Marisa DeMar/News-Leader Nathalie Wu, owner of Wicked Bay in Fernandina Beach, at her restaurant on Saturday.

Photos by Marisa DeMar/News-Leader Nathalie Wu, owner of Wicked Bay in Fernandina Beach, at her restaurant on Saturday.

Take a Bao

Marisa DeMar
Wednesday, December 10, 2025
  Local Asian street food restaurant Wicked Bao is celebrating eight years as part of the Fernandina Beach community.  To commemorate the day, the business will host a special ticketed wine dinner for customers on Monday, Dec. 15. The event will be held at 6 p.m.
Photo by Marisa DeMar / The former post of Peg Leg Pete after the statue was moved to the Amelia Island Museum of History.

Photo by Marisa DeMar / The former post of Peg Leg Pete after the statue was moved to the Amelia Island Museum of History.

Peg Leg limbo 

Marisa DeMar
Wednesday, December 10, 2025
The City of Fernandina Beach government took to Facebook to share a deadline for all Peg Leg Pete restoration donations: Feb. 1, 2026.  The post explained the tentative fate of the statue if the $23,000 goal is not met by the set date.
Justin Cook, division president for Pulte and Emily Friedman, director of administration for BGCNCF.

Justin Cook, division president for Pulte and Emily Friedman, director of administration for BGCNCF.

Pulte putts 

Marisa DeMar
Friday, December 5, 2025
PulteGroup, Inc. raised over $55,000 for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Nassau County Foundation (BGCNCF) at their annual charity golf tournament in November.  The event marked the 4th annual iteration of their Building Hope Charity Golf Tournament which took place Nov.
Amelia Island Whale Ambassadors celebrate the first whale sighting at the Seaside Amelia Inn on Tuesday, Dec. 2. By Marisa DeMar

Amelia Island Whale Ambassadors celebrate the first whale sighting at the Seaside Amelia Inn on Tuesday, Dec. 2. By Marisa DeMar

A toast on the coast

Marisa DeMar
Friday, December 5, 2025
The Amelia Island Whale Ambassadors hosted a champagne toast on Tuesday, in celebration of the season’s first baby North Atlantic Right Whale calf being spotted off the coast of South Carolina.

Paid parking’s 1st reading passes

Marisa DeMar
Friday, December 5, 2025
The first reading of the ordinance to implement paid parking in downtown Fernandina Beach passed in a 3-1 vote at the city meeting on Tuesday.  Only four of the commissioners voted on the topic, after Tim Poynter decided to abstain based on accusations of having a conflict of interest.
Dee Dee Bartels flips through one of the books she authored during her long life in her apartment in Fernandina Beach in April 2025. Photo by Ashley Chandler/News-Leader

Dee Dee Bartels flips through one of the books she authored during her long life in her apartment in Fernandina Beach in April 2025. Photo by Ashley Chandler/News-Leader

‘She lived it well’: Beloved community figure Bartels has died at 102

Nick Blank
Wednesday, December 3, 2025
Dee Dee Bartels, a shrimp boat owner and Shrimp Fest founder who fought for the area’s waterways and — among other things — was a painter, author and radio correspondent, died Friday. She was 102. Aloysia Jean Marie Theresa Bartels was born Aug.
Photos by Marisa DeMar/News-Leader Kids enjoy the S'mores provided by the Fernandina Pirates Club at the City of Fernandina Beach Christmas Tree Lighting on Nov. 28.

Photos by Marisa DeMar/News-Leader Kids enjoy the S'mores provided by the Fernandina Pirates Club at the City of Fernandina Beach Christmas Tree Lighting on Nov. 28.

Comfort and magic

Marisa DeMar
Tuesday, December 2, 2025
Christmas spirit has swiftly arrived in Fernandina Beach with the city’s annual tree lighting ceremony that took place on Friday evening. Mayor James Antun led the ceremonial countdown before the tree was promptly lit at 6 p.m.
Marisa DeMar/News-Leader  The “Boat Owners Only” sign outside of docks C and D, which restrict access to the working area at Fernandina Harbor Marina on Monday. 

Marisa DeMar/News-Leader  The “Boat Owners Only” sign outside of docks C and D, which restrict access to the working area at Fernandina Harbor Marina on Monday. 

Walk the dock

Marisa DeMar
Tuesday, December 2, 2025
After a resident drew attention to a new “boat owners only” sign placed outside of docks C and D in the Fernandina Harbor Marina, the marina’s general manager clarified the reasoning for the restricted access as being a safety precaution.
Photos by Marisa DeMar/News-Leader The completed gingerbread sandcastle in the lobby of the Ritz-Carlton Amelia Island on Nov. 25.

Photos by Marisa DeMar/News-Leader The completed gingerbread sandcastle in the lobby of the Ritz-Carlton Amelia Island on Nov. 25.

Dough’s high rise

Marisa DeMar
Tuesday, December 2, 2025
Every holiday season, the luxury Ritz-Carlton Amelia Island resort decks their halls with elaborate lights, trees, and one gigantic gingerbread house placed front and center in their lobby.  The gingerbread structure, which is shaped as a sandcastle, is made entirely by pastry chefs at the hotel.
It was a full house during the Nov. 25 Empty Bowls fundraiser at the Barnabas Center. By Marisa DeMar

It was a full house during the Nov. 25 Empty Bowls fundraiser at the Barnabas Center. By Marisa DeMar

Empty Bowls, full hearts 

Marisa DeMar
Tuesday, December 2, 2025
The Barnabas Center reached their goal of raising at least $50,000 through the 12th annual Empty Bowls event on Nov. 25, which was created to further their mission of combatting food insecurity in Nassau County.