Magic Beach Motel

The Magic Beach Motel, located along Florida State Road A1A, was one of the most recognizable landmarks with its distinctive neon sign featuring rabbits jumping out of a top hat and Art Deco architecture. The motel was historically significant as it was one of the first motels built in Vilano Beach. Its history is a mix of mid-century coastal tourism, Hollywood fame, and preservation battles, which were ultimately lost, resulting in the motel’s demolition.

Vilano Beach Beginnings

Vilano Beach is situated on a barrier island between the Atlantic Ocean and the Tolomato (North) River, located just two miles east of St. Augustine via the Usina Bridge. Originally a quiet fishing village with sparse settlements, the area began to transform in the 1890s following the construction of a railroad bridge from St. Augustine. The most significant pre-World War II development occurred in 1926 when developer August Heckscher built the Vilano Beach Casino as a feature to sell plots of land, followed by the platting of the Vilano Beach Subdivision and the completion of the first highway bridge in 1927. However, the Casino’s presence was short-lived; it was damaged by a storm and subsequently demolished in 1938.

The local landscape evolved further in the early 1950s as a wave of small motels emerged along Vilano Road, which was then part of Florida A1A. This growth was largely facilitated by the opening of a new bridge in 1948. Among the first of these establishments was the Blue Ocean Hotel, built in 1951 by Cesidio Tuccela. Another prominent figure in this era was Newt Haley, a veteran who had been stationed nearby during World War II and returned after the war to build Newt’s Vilano Beach Motel and Haley’s Court Motel. During this period, the area also saw the rise of Late Moderne architecture, exemplified by structures like the GlaMay Restaurant, which later became known as Barrancotto’s Roma Restaurant.

The Blue Ocean Motel

The Magic Beach Motel originally opened in May 1951 as the Blue Ocean Motel under the ownership of Cesidio “Joe” Tuccella and his wife, Minnie Lee Smith Tuccella, who had purchased the property the previous year. According to a May 6, 1951, article in the St. Augustine Record, Cesidio Tuccella, an Italian immigrant from Castel del Monte, Abruzzo, served as the primary builder. Tuccella owned and operated the Acme Tile Company in Jacksonville for 17 years before moving to Vilano Beach.

While no other buildings are documented as his work, he personally constructed or supervised the majority of the motel, which originally consisted of ten units. His wife, Minnie, oversaw the interior design, which featured a Monterey Grey color scheme complemented by red leather upholstery. Each unit was well-appointed for the era, including desks, sectional sofas, innerspring mattresses, and tiled bathrooms. Murals painted by artist Gerome Barret were added to individual rooms, although it’s unknown when these were made.

Local businesses supported the construction, with North City Stone Works providing the concrete blocks, the Acme Tile Company supplying the tile, and Everlite Neon Signs for the original neon signage.

Over the following decade, the property expanded to include a restaurant on Vilano Road in 1953, followed by a two-room wing and a porte-cochère by 1962. After Minnie passed away in 1964, Cesidio continued to own the property until 1969, when it was sold to Art and Thelma McGinnis. By the mid-1970s, the establishment was renamed the Vilano Beach Motel.

Safe Harbor and the Magic Beach Motel

In 1999, the motel served as the primary filming location for the Warner Bros. TV series Safe Harbor, starring Golden Girls actress Rue McClanahan. Set in fictional Magic Beach, Florida, this series follows a widowed sheriff and his three sons living with Grandma Loring, played by Rue McClanahan, a former magician’s assistant who owns the motel.

In the show, the motel was called the “Magic Beach Motel,” and the name stuck long after production ended. The iconic neon sign featuring rabbits jumping out of a top hat was created specifically for the show. This sign became a beloved local landmark and was a primary reason for the motel’s later designation as a “Significant Cultural Resource.”

In the years following the show’s cancellation, the Magic Beach Motel had become run-down, culminating in a fire that damaged the carport and porch overhang in 2010.

Preservation Efforts

Purchased by Remy and Earl Jensen in 2011, the motel underwent a restoration that kept its historic character intact. The project maintained the original room layouts and tiling while reviving the iconic murals and vintage concrete-cast flamingos. The restaurant, though, was heavily remodeled into a two-story building to house additional motel rooms. The original wood-framed windows were also replaced throughout.

In April 2025, local developer Rick Johnston revealed plans for townhomes on the site while keeping some of the original retro style with the same iconic motel sign at the front and some of the original pink flamingo décor at the entryway. This was met with widespread disapproval from the public, as extensive development throughout the state has destroyed much of Florida’s original character and appeal. After legal and preservation debates, a demolition permit was approved in October 2025. The Magic Beach Motel quietly closed down, with demolition beginning soon afterward.

While the Magic Beach Motel has been demolished, its historical significance, original namesake (Blue Ocean Motel), and the figures that helped shape this community should not be forgotten. Following Cesidio’s death in St. Augustine in 1978, the building remained a significant example of the “motor-court” style motels that not only defined Florida’s coastal beach communities but also defined our state’s character as a whole throughout the late 1950s and early 1960s.

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