Aerial view of Amelia Surf & Racquet Club from over the ocean: three oceanfront buildings, two pools and a boardwalk over the dunes, dense woods behind, and a Volkswagen bus driving on the beach in the foreground

A Volkswagen bus drives down the beach in front of Amelia Surf & Racquet Club. From the Florida Properties archives

The History of Amelia Surf & Racquet Club

More than four decades on the ocean at Amelia Island.

Amelia Island looked a little different when Surf & Racquet first appeared on its shoreline. Cars still traveled the beach, much of the island’s south end remained undeveloped, and Amelia was only beginning to emerge as the resort destination it is today.

Surf & Racquet also predates one of the landmarks that would later help define this part of the island. When the Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island opened just to the north in 1991, Surf & Racquet had already been welcoming owners and guests for years. The arrival of the Ritz is often associated with Amelia Island’s emergence as a nationally recognized resort destination.

Against that earlier backdrop, Amelia Surf & Racquet Club was developed in the early 1980s — three oceanfront buildings, 156 villas and more than 700 feet of Atlantic frontage. More than four decades later, much of the original vision remains recognizable.

Building Surf & Racquet

Surf & Racquet was developed in the early 1980s on approximately 12 oceanfront acres with 712 feet of Atlantic frontage. The project ultimately included 156 villas in three seven-story buildings, with the buildings positioned so the villas had Atlantic Ocean views.

Ray Easterlin was the developer and remained closely associated with Surf & Racquet through Florida Properties for decades afterward.

Oceanfront acres: 12
Feet of Atlantic frontage: 712
Villas: 156
Buildings, built in three phases: 3

From the ground up, in five photographs

Step 1 of 5
Foundation work begins in open sand beside a completed building. From the Florida Properties archives
Step 2 of 5
A building under construction, with the crane and the Atlantic Ocean behind it. From the Florida Properties archives
Step 3 of 5
One phase under construction beside a completed building and pool. From the Florida Properties archives
Step 4 of 5
A later stage, with completed buildings around the one still under construction. From the Florida Properties archives
Step 5 of 5
The completed three-building development, with the tennis courts in the foreground. From the Florida Properties archives

Ray Easterlin and the Hilton Head Connection

Before Amelia Island, Ray Easterlin was involved in resort development on Hilton Head Island through Heritage Properties and Florida Properties. Old Florida Properties records connect Easterlin and his companies with a number of recognizable Hilton Head developments, including Plantation Club Villas in Sea Pines, Captain’s Walk and Captain’s Cove, The Moorings, Dolphin Point Club, Braddock Cove Club and Sea Pines Country Club.

His role varied from project to project. By the time he came to Amelia Island, Easterlin had substantial experience in Hilton Head resort and condominium development.

Aerial view of two completed Surf & Racquet buildings and their parking area, with the beach on the right and undeveloped dunes and woods stretching into the distance — Two of the completed buildings, with open dunes and woods stretching along the shore beyond. From the Florida Properties archives

A seven-story concrete building under construction, seen from over the beach, with a crane behind it, a pool to the right and woods beyond — A building under construction, seen from over the beach. From the Florida Properties archives

What Did a Surf & Racquet Condo Cost in the 1980s?

Original Surf & Racquet villa prices by phase, from Florida Properties records
Phase	Original price range
Phase I	$86,000–$161,000
Phase II	$105,000–$166,000
Phase III	$110,000–$225,000
Total original sales volume	≈ $21 million

Sales began in the early 1980s; all three phases sold out by 1986.

Figures from the original Florida Properties records.

Wide aerial view of Amelia Surf & Racquet Club’s three buildings on the oceanfront, surrounded by dense woods, with tennis courts in the foreground and the Atlantic surf beyond — An aerial view of Amelia Surf & Racquet Club and the largely undeveloped south end of Amelia Island. From the Florida Properties archives

Amelia Island Looked a Little Different

In the early aerials, dense woods and open dunes surround Surf & Racquet on nearly every side. Today the resort sits just south of the Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island; then, much of the island’s south end was still undeveloped.

Close-up of a blue-and-white Volkswagen bus driving on the hard-packed sand below the dunes — Detail from the photograph at the top of this page: when cars still traveled the beach. From the Florida Properties archives

Vacation Rentals From the Beginning

Vacation rentals were part of Surf & Racquet from its earliest years. Florida Properties served as the exclusive marketing agent for the original development, managed the condominium association, and operated the on-site rental program.

That relationship continued long after the original villas were sold, and generations of Amelia Island visitors came to know Surf & Racquet through vacations here.

Florida Properties remained closely associated with Surf & Racquet for roughly four decades. In 2025, its Surf & Racquet vacation-rental operation became part of locally owned Barefoot Amelia Beach Rentals.