The carousel at Davenport Park was dismantled nearly five years ago. | News4Jax
Published on July 29, 2025 at 2:39 pm
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A local man’s plans to operate a carousel at St. Augustine’s Davenport Park fell through, but hold your horses — the city is still holding out hope to find a private operator to install and manage a merry-go-round.
Last summer, St. Augustine approved J.W. Brinkley’s proposal to install a carousel at the park at the busy intersection of San Marco and San Carlos avenues. But Brinkley had to step away from the project because of health problems and the high cost of bringing the new carousel to the U.S. from China due to tariffs.
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Now, the city plans to put out a new request for private operators.
The city has already installed the electrical components necessary to accommodate a carousel, but management and installation are the key services the city is searching for.
“We don’t have staff that’s available or trained to manage carnival attractions,” City Manager David Birchim said during a City Commission meeting this week.
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But city leaders know how popular the old carousel was, and they hope a new request for proposal will yield an eager vendor.
Full circle?
For decades, Davenport Park — once known as Carousel Park — was home to a beloved merry-go-round. After the carousel’s proprietor, Jim Soules, died, the old carousel went with him. His family brought the carousel from St. Augustine to Fort Myers, where it found a new home at the Shell Factory, a roadside attraction that hosted food and entertainment.
But the Shell Factory closed last year, and St. Augustine Mayor Nancy Sikes-Kline says the fate of the carousel that once called St. Augustine home is in limbo.
Sikes-Kline said she expects the carousel’s current owner will find a home for it in Lee County, but she remains hopeful — even if it’s a long shot — that the carousel might still find its way back up to St. Augustine.
“I reached out and tried to get in touch with her,” Sikes-Kline said. “I’m hoping that she’ll call, and maybe we can talk.”
Jacksonville Today was unable to reach the former owner of the Shell Factory, Pam Cronin, for comment.
For now, St. Augustine’s Carousel Park is still without a carousel.
