They can’t make it disappear just yet.
Plans to raze the Magic Beach Motel in Vilano Beach have been temporarily blocked after the St. Johns County Cultural Resource Review Board unanimously denied a redevelopment application.
The board determined the proposal did not adequately recognize the historic import of the 75-year-old structure.
Originally built in 1951 as the Blue Ocean Motel, the property is known for its Art Deco-inspired design, pastel colors and campy neon signage.
The motel received a fresh coat of local renown in the late 1990s when it was featured as a filming location in the television drama Safe Harbor, which starred Golden Girls star Rue McClanahan.
Although not recognized on the State of Florida’s official register of historic places, St. Johns County designated it a culturally significant local structure in 2021.
That designation requires that any demolition proposal be reviewed and approved by the Cultural Resource Review Board.
Developer Rick Johnston presented a plan to replace the motel with a new mixed-use development that would include condominiums and retail space.
He and current owner and operator Tejal Patel argued that the building is structurally unsound and financially unsustainable.
Although many residents urged that the building be preserved as is, some online voices questioned whether its cultural and aesthetic value was fueled more by fanciful sentimentality than substantive merit.
But board members, including Chair Leslee Keys, said the demolition proposal lacked detail, failed to take community clamor into account, and downplayed building’s place in local history.
Johnston did offer to incorporate some decorative homages to the motel in the new design, but the board found those efforts insufficient.
All four members present — Keys, Blair Knighting, Christine Newman, and Nick Jonihakis — voted to deny the application.
Despite the board’s ruling, Johnston still has 30 days to appeal the decision to the St. Johns County Commission, which holds the final authority to uphold or overturn the denial. If he does not appeal, the board’s ruling will stand — at least temporarily preserving the Magic Beach Motel.
