American Beach, located on the south end of Amelia Island in Nassau County, Florida, has the distinction of being one of the few remaining beach resort communities in the nation developed specifically by and for African-Americans. Developed by the Afro-American Life Insurance Company in 1935, American Beach was until the passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act one of the few beaches in the southeast available to African-Americans. Even with the increased availability of beach resort opportunities for African-American, American Beach continued to survive during the 1960's and 70's as a distinctive beach community composed predominately of single family beach cottages. (Source: Historic Building Survey of American Beach, 1998)
Since 2018, the Nassau County Planning and Economic Opportunity department has been working with the American Beach community to preserve the unique character of the community.
To learn more information about the planning efforts taking place in American Beach, please visit the American Beach Neighborhood Planning page.