Members of the Fernandina Pirates Club are renowned for their award-winning spirit! From South Florida to West Virginia, our members travel with their pirate ships, spreading tales of our tiny island off the coast of Northeast Florida.
With two legendary pirate ship floats — Amelia’s Revenge and the Miss Amelia Pearl — we wave flags, distribute beads and pirate hats, dance in the streets, and fire black powder weapons, all while promoting the Isle of Eight Flags Shrimp Festival, Fernandina Beach, and Nassau County, Florida.
On this page, we proudly share our prestigious awards!
Fernandina Pirates Club Honors
- 2024 67th Annual Ocala Christmas Parade – 1st Place, Commercial Category
- 2023 Ocala Christmas Parade – Best of Show
- 2022 65th Annual Ocala Christmas Parade – 2nd Place, Non-Profit
- 2022 Yulee Christmas Parade – 1st Place, Best Float
- 2021 64th Annual Ocala Christmas Parade – 1st Place, Non-Profit
- 2021 Yulee Christmas Parade – 2nd Place, Best Float
- 2019 63rd Annual Ocala Christmas Parade – 1st Place
- 2005 42nd Shrimp Festival – 1st Place, Special Effects
- 2004 7th Jacksonville Opening of the Beaches – Honorable Mention
- 2004 41st Shrimp Festival – 2nd Place, Non-Profit
- 2004 41st Shrimp Festival – 1st Place, Special Effects
- 2004 Victory Junction Gang Camp Award
- 2003 40th Shrimp Festival – Best Non-Profit Float
- 2003 57th Jacksonville Opening of the Beaches – 2nd Place
- 2003 Gator Bowl – Winn Dixie Grand Award, Most Outstanding
- 2002 Gator Bowl Parade – WEJZ Float Award
- 2002 56th Jacksonville Opening of the Beaches Parade – Best Overall
- 2002 Easter Parade, St. Augustine – 2nd Place, Best Historical
- 2001 Gator Bowl Parade – Bank of America Award
- 2001 Yulee Christmas Parade – 1st Place, Best Float
- 2000 Jacksonville Opening of the Beaches Parade – 2nd Place, Class B
- 2000 Easter Parade, St. Augustine – Pappy Schilling WFOX Award
- 1999 Easter Parade, St. Augustine – 3rd Place, Best Historical Theme
- 1989 O’Kanes St. Patrick’s Day Parade – 1st Place
- 1988 Easter Parade, St. Augustine – 2nd Place
- 1986 Jacksonville Opening of the Beaches Parade – 1st Place
Community Proclamations & Projects
50 Years of Dedicated Service (2023)
In February 2023, the Fernandina Pirates Club was honored once again with a proclamation from the City of Fernandina Beach for 50 years of dedicated service to the community.
Goodwill Ambassadors to the World (2008)
In December 2008, the Fernandina Pirates Club received a proclamation from the City of Fernandina Beach, honoring our many years of service. The proclamation declared the club as the “City of Fernandina Beach’s Goodwill Ambassadors to the World.”
WHEREAS, the Fernandina Pirates Club was founded in 1973 and has consistently promoted our community through the Eight Flags Shrimp Festival, parades, local charity events, and sponsorship of an annual scholarship contest for Nassau County high school seniors; and
WHEREAS, for years the Pirates Club has embodied the motto “Amelia Island’s Goodwill Ambassadors to the World.”
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that we, the City Commission of the City of Fernandina Beach and the citizens of our community, do hereby designate the Fernandina Pirates Club as the “City of Fernandina Beach’s Goodwill Ambassadors to the World.”
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this proclamation shall be a permanent record in the proceedings of the City Commission as a testament to our sincere appreciation for:
FERNANDINA PIRATES CLUB
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I, Bruce Malcolm, as Mayor, have hereunto set my hand and caused the official seal of the City of Fernandina Beach, Florida, to be affixed this 2nd day of December, 2008.
Rehabilitating Pete the Pirate
Rehabilitating Pete: In Fernandina Beach, a landmark statue stood proudly as a symbol of community fellowship at the old Welcome Center by the waterfront. In October 2008, the Fernandina Pirates Club coordinated the restoration and unveiling of this wooden pirate sculpture.
A community-wide contest to name the statue was won by students from Emma Love Hardee. Originally carved from a single ten-foot piece of live oak by artist Wayne Ervin, it took a team of volunteers to restore this historic landmark.
Now known as “Pete the Pirate,” this revered sculpture was displayed in its new home by the Amelia Island Welcome Center until it was moved to its current location in 2016 to make way for a more pedestrian-friendly waterfront park.
