‘New stories to tell:’ Beloved St. Augustine carousel will be replaced with a new one

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. — The City of St. Augustine approved a proposal to install a new carousel downtown.

It comes after this beloved carousel was removed in September 2019 and moved to Port Charlotte, Florida after its owner passed away.

The Corridor Review Committee voted unanimously to place a new carousel at Davenport Park.

The developer of this project, JW Brinkley, has waited four years to get this green light.

“A lot of people have enjoyed the carousel here,” Brinkley said. “They told me their kids and grandkids about it. Now, it will be coming back. There will be new stories to tell.”

The new carousel will be shipped from China in six to eight weeks. This carousel will have a brighter red color and a smoother ride than the previous ride here.

“We will also be doing a lot of infrastructure work within that small area,” Brinkley said. “It really will be enhanced. It will have nicer fencing, gates, and lighting.”

Action News Jax asked Brinkley why St. Augustine.

“All my friends said why don’t you do one in Jacksonville where there’s more population? I don’t them it doesn’t have any history.”

This is how the carousel used to look at Davenport Park. But it didn’t stay there. The owners moved the carousel to South Florida. Now, Brinkley is bringing the spinning ride back once again.

Brinkley said, “I think it’s going to be one hell of a nice project. I can’t wait to turn the lights on.

The next step for this project is to go through city hall.

Once approved, there will also be a new ticket booth. It will be larger, and it will come with an air conditioner.