The Jacksonville Beach Fishing Pier operates on three simple currencies: good weather, good bites and good vibes.
As owner and operator of Beach Life Rentals, which manages the pier at 503 N. First Street, Curt DeWitt can’t change the weather. He has no control over what’s biting and what isn’t.
But he can make sure everyone who ambles up the wooden ramp has a positive experience, whether they’re fishing or simply enjoying the view.
Since taking over management of the pier in July 2022, DeWitt has created more than a place to fish. He has cultivated an atmosphere built on kindness and respect, leading a staff of employees and volunteers who make sure guests have what they need for a good day over the water.
Coolers are stocked with cold drinks and fresh bait, and every guest is an opportunity for engagement.
“We get here before the sun comes up, we greet everybody and throughout the day we host them and watch the sun set,” DeWitt said. “We built an atmosphere where people want to come and hang out. It’s pretty great.”
DeWitt earned his hospitality stripes as a docent aide at One Ocean, tending to guests’ needs from securing dinner reservations and steam pressing their clothes to lining up bicycles and surfboards for a day at the beach.
That experience inspired him to launch Beach Life Rentals and provide amenities for guests of the former One Ocean, now Dune House.
When the pier reopened in 2022 after $10 million in repairs, DeWitt was awarded the contract by the city of Jacksonville to manage its daily operations. He introduced upgrades like shaded patio furniture and hammocks, all designed to enhance the guest experience.
The setting has changed, but the personal attention remains.
Instead of checking guests into oceanfront rooms, DeWitt fields questions about the tides, stays current on what’s biting and is committed to providing a safe, friendly environment for locals and visitors alike.
“The pier is the centerpiece of the beach. We’re lucky to have the opportunity to host all the people up here,” DeWitt said. “When the city gave us the contract, it was really an honor. It was really something special. But we’ve been hosting guests out here for 16 years at One Ocean and it just grew from there. Now it’s Dune House and we’re still working over there.”
If there was ever a solid first mate to help guide the ship, it’s Charles Blum.
The Navy veteran serves as the pier’s ambassador, trading cash for admission tickets, serving snacks and baggies of frozen shrimp, and dispensing a joyful attitude that makes even the gruffest guests smile in spite of themselves.
“I think you have to stay engaged,” Blum said. “You have to get up in the morning and have a purposeful life.”
Blum, who also works as a substitute teacher and volunteers at the Naval Museum in downtown Jacksonville, considers his job at the Jacksonville Beach pier the second of his “bucket list” jobs.
He previously operated the ferry at Disney World and hopes one day to serve as a tour guide at the Kennedy Space Center.
“I’m in my early 70s, I’m in good health and good spirits, so now I have the good fortune of doing what I want to do,” he said.
Blum said the pier represents more than a place to fish.
“The pier is the focal point of Jacksonville Beach. Every picture, every advertisement, everything you see has a shot of this pier,” he said. “If you are a lifelong resident, you remember the wooden pier at Sixth Avenue South. Hurricane Floyd knocked it down and there was a huge cry to build us a new pier, and this is it.”
Stretching 1,300 feet into the Atlantic Ocean, the pier is a landmark destination at the Beaches. For the anglers and visitors who show up each day, it’s a place to take in the salt air, tell some tall fish tales and maybe get a nibble or two.
The gates open at 5:45 a.m. to a dedicated group of regulars who arrive before sunrise to claim a spot along the railing.
Many familiar faces come and go throughout the day, most of them there to fish. They celebrate a big catch and commiserate over the ones that got away. A dry-erase board is updated to reflect which fish are running on any given day.
Families stroll the length of the wooden deck, leaning over the rails in hopes of catching a glimpse of kingfish, a school of rays or even a shark.
There is a surge of energy when a rod bends under the weight of a possible big one.
Folks gather to cheer on the angler as he wrestles his catch and hoists it over the railing. Cleaning stations are available for those industrious enough to clean their catch fresh from the water. Others pack coolers with ice to carry their fish home.
The regulars treat each other like old friends, sometimes even bickering over the coveted spots believed to bring luck.
DeWitt said he was warned before taking over the pier that keeping everyone happy would be a challenge.
“People told me that there was no one way everyone would be able to behave and get along out there. They said the surfers are always going to fight with the fishermen. The fishermen are always going to fight with each other. Don’t put hammocks up here because the homeless are going to be a problem,” he said. “I said, ‘Well, I guess I will be proven wrong.’”
Three cameras provide a constant feed of surf conditions on the north and south sides of the pier and a view straight down the length of the deck.
“That puppy is infrared at night, so you can see people sneaking on the pier,” Blum said.
DeWitt oversees it all, including enforcement of the pier’s rules.
If someone gets out of line, he gives them an opportunity to self-correct. If the behavior continues, DeWitt asks the person to leave for the day and return when they can use their manners.
“Very little do we have people really get into it with us,” he said. “Anything they do, our team is taught, don’t take it personally. Don’t let it ruin your day. We see thousands of people on a busy day. Of course, you’re going to have some guys who aren’t respectful. Don’t focus on them. Focus on all the other amazing people that we meet.”
DeWitt said his approach is simple.
“My number one rule is respect each other,” he said. “Everybody said I was crazy, but you project respect and greet people like you’re happy to be here.”
For DeWitt, the appeal of the pier extends beyond fishing.
“It’s an attraction, and when you get out there past the point where you can’t hear anything in the city and all you hear is the ocean, it’s worth every penny,” he said.
Safety is a key part of the operation.
DeWitt will shut down the pier in severe weather, while during hurricane season he stays in close contact with the city’s emergency response team to coordinate plans. Equipment such as umbrellas, hammocks and deck furniture is pulled in and secured before a storm.
But Florida weather can change quickly. Showers and even strong gusts can blow through before an official determination is made, and by then, most guests have cleared out on their own.
“At any given point, I’ll have 200 beach chairs down on the beach from here to St. Augustine,” DeWitt said. “Even now, we weren’t sure what was going to happen, so I went and closed all the umbrellas and started packing up all the hammocks just up here.”
He gestured toward the deck outside the concession area, slick from a sudden cloudburst.
“It’s Florida. An afternoon storm and it clears up,” he said.
This fall, DeWitt plans to expand Beach Life Rentals’ operations to make chairs and other equipment available for guests at Hanna Park.
“We’re not going to be manning the gates. There are still going to be park rangers, and the city is letting us run the recreation and the campground store,” he said. “Bikes, boards, kayaks, pedal boats, all that. We’re not taking anything away. We’re just going to add more amenities.”
Beach Life Rentals also plans to provide hospitality services directly on the beach, including chair and umbrella deliveries, ice, snacks and drinks ordered by guests.
“We do so much here at the beach, so we’re going to take care of the beach,” DeWitt said. “There is no one out there doing hospitality on the actual beach.”
He hopes to have at least one food truck, with plans for three rotating trucks including a coffee truck near the poles offering coffee and a breakfast menu.
Plans also include lunch and dinner options at Parking Lot B, with shaved ice available near the lakeside. Additional amenities are planned for the campground area as DeWitt looks to elevate the guest experience and keep visitors coming back.
“That’s what hospitality is. It’s thinking about what the person is going to want before they want it, being proactive and genuinely meaning it,” said DeWitt of the ripple effect that can happen with a simple act of kindness.
“It’s not just renting chairs and bikes. It’s not just taking your money at the pier. It’s about making people happy then they go and make other people happy. It just keeps going.”
