FERNANDINA BEACH, Fla. — Action News Jax has received a collection of emails sent between leaders of the city of Fernandina Beach that indicate they have known about cremated remains being inside of the Peg Leg pirate statue on Centre Street for more than a year.
This is after the city attorney had told the city’s Historic District Council last week that she had just found out about the possibility of cremains being inside the nearly 50-year-old statue. The discussion during the meeting put the talks of possibly replacing the pirate statue on pause.
One of the emails given to Action News Jax was sent in April 2024, from the city’s former deputy city manager and city engineer, Charlie George, who died a few months later, and city commissioners.
Part of the email reads:
“I went to evaluate the condition of the statue a while back, and the pirate club members said they did not want to repair the statue…because it would diminish the significance of having the cremated remains of a former pirate club member.”
City attorney Teresa Prince brought up the cremated remains again during this week’s city commission meeting. Prince didn’t mention any more; she may have learned about it, but said it may now be the time to put the statue somewhere else.
“I have no concerns about removing Peg Leg Pete based on cremains being there. We’ve talked about different steps,” Prince told commissioners.
The city hasn’t yet made an official decision on what to do with the statue, but city commissioners have brought up the idea of moving it into the Amelia Island museum as a way of preserving it, so that it can be replaced with a newer pirate on Centre Street.
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