The Magic Beach Motel in Vilano Beach has been approved for demolition, ending decades of neon-lit history along Florida’s coast. Once made famous by the TV series Safe Harbor and later revived after a devastating fire, the motel has been a beloved landmark since 1951.

But with state laws overriding local protections, its fate is sealed.

In this in-depth video podcast, we dive into the motel’s history, the preservation fight that fell short, and what this loss means for Vilano Beach. We also look at Haley’s Court, a sister retro motel that’s been restored and is thriving today, plus the broader story of Vilano, from the fishing pier and local dining to nearby Fort Mose, the first legally sanctioned free Black settlement in America.

This is the story of Vilano Beach at a crossroads: one motel coming down, another rising again, and a community deciding what’s worth saving.

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