The Complete Amelia National Guide. (2026)

Executive Summary

Amelia National Golf & Country Club is a gated, golf-focused community by ICI Homes near Fernandina Beach and Yulee, in Nassau County's 32097 ZIP. Open since 2005 with its Tom Fazio-designed course following in 2006, it is now in its third decade, an established community that still offers new custom homesites alongside a deep resale market.

The community is built around an 18-hole Tom Fazio signature course, recently renovated, with a driving range and eight acres of practice facilities, and is known for having one of the lowest initiation fees of any Tom Fazio course, which makes high-end golf unusually accessible. The French Provincial clubhouse anchors the social life with full-service dining, a pro shop, locker rooms, and event spaces.

Homes are custom-built by ICI Homes, Florida's custom-home builder, generally from about 2,000 to 3,000-plus square feet and larger, with new homes priced from the high $400s to upper $500s and luxury and golf-course homes ranging well into the $700s and beyond. Amenities include a resort-style pool, eight lighted tennis courts, a fitness center with spa services, trails, and concierge service, all behind a manned gate.

A notable value point is that the CDD bond is paid off on many homes, lowering the carrying cost, though the club membership (with lifestyle and golf tiers and a food-and-beverage minimum) is a separate and significant recurring cost to understand. The most valuable move you can make is to bring your own agent, since the listing agent works for the seller and the membership office works for the club.

Quick Facts

Community Overview & History

Amelia National brought a Tom Fazio championship golf experience to Nassau County when it opened in 2005, and two decades on it has matured into one of the area's premier gated golf communities while still offering new custom homesites. The setting is the mainland near Fernandina Beach and Yulee, a few miles from Amelia Island's beaches and the historic downtown, with easy access to I-95, the Jacksonville airport, and south Georgia.

The community's identity is its golf and its custom homes. The 18-hole Tom Fazio course, recently renovated, is regarded as one of the most visually striking in the region, and notably carries one of the lowest initiation fees of any Fazio course, which makes the country-club lifestyle more attainable than at comparable clubs. Homes are custom-built by ICI Homes, so buyers can build from scratch or buy a resale, with the French Provincial clubhouse and resort amenities at the center of community life.

Amelia National suits buyers who want a gated, amenity-rich golf-and-country-club lifestyle near the coast without paying Ponte Vedra prices, and who value custom-home quality. The trade-offs are the club membership cost, which is separate from the home, and a location that is near rather than on the beach, in exchange for space, golf, and Nassau County's lower-key pace.

The Tom Fazio Golf, the Custom Homes & the Club

The Tom Fazio golf course

The centerpiece is the 18-hole Tom Fazio signature course, recently renovated, with a driving range and eight acres of immaculately groomed practice facilities, a pro shop, and an on-site golf professional. Its standout feature for buyers is value: it carries one of the lowest initiation fees of any Tom Fazio course, making a high-caliber private golf experience more accessible than at comparable clubs, a genuine differentiator in the region.

ICI custom homes

Homes are custom-built by ICI Homes, Florida's custom-home builder, which offers in-house architectural services so buyers can design from scratch or adapt a plan. Homes generally run from about 2,000 to 3,000-plus square feet, with larger luxury homes available, many with golf-course or water views, single-story and two-story designs, pools, and high-end finishes. New homes price from the high $400s to upper $500s, with luxury and golf-frontage homes ranging well beyond.

The clubhouse and amenities

The French Provincial clubhouse anchors the community with a full-service restaurant and lounge, a pro shop, locker rooms, massage rooms, a game room, and various meeting and event spaces, including a banquet hall. Beyond it are a resort-style pool complex, eight lighted championship tennis courts, a fitness center with spa services, basketball courts, sports fields, miles of trails, and on-site concierge service, all behind a manned gate.

The Market & Pricing

As of 2026, Amelia National spans a broad price range. New ICI custom homes start from the high $400s to upper $500s, the area's average sits in the mid-$500s to upper-$500s, and luxury and golf-course homes, especially larger pool homes with views, range well into the $700s and beyond. That places it as a premium but attainable gated golf community, below Ponte Vedra's club communities.

Buyers here choose between building a new ICI custom home and buying a resale, and the two are worth comparing directly. A resale on a premium golf or water lot, especially one with the CDD bond paid off and the home updated, can be a strong value against a new build once lot premiums and options are added. Because homes are custom, condition, finishes, lot position, and view drive price significantly within the range.

On carrying cost, two things matter. First, the CDD bond is paid off on many homes, which lowers the annual cost and is a real value point to confirm per home. Second, the club membership, with lifestyle and golf tiers and a food-and-beverage minimum, is a separate and significant recurring expense. The honest way to evaluate Amelia National is the all-in cost, the home, HOA, any remaining CDD, and the realistic club cost for how you will use it, which is exactly the comparison the listing agent and membership office will not run for you.

Who Lives Here

Amelia National draws golfers, professionals, and retirees who want a gated country-club lifestyle near the coast at a more attainable price than Ponte Vedra, plus custom-home buyers who value ICI's build quality. Many are relocations drawn by the Tom Fazio golf, the Amelia Island beaches minutes away, and Nassau County's quieter pace, along with Florida's tax climate.

The social life centers on the club, golf, tennis, dining at the French Provincial clubhouse, and an active community calendar of events, supported by concierge service. For buyers who want an engaged, amenity-rich, golf-oriented community with the beach and historic Fernandina close by, that combination is the draw; the club membership cost and the near-but-not-on-the-beach location are the trade-offs.

Schools

Amelia National is served by the Nassau County School District, with homes following the Yulee feeder pattern. Yulee Elementary sits a few miles from the community, with Yulee Middle and Yulee High serving the older grades, all part of a district that has invested in its growing Yulee-area campuses as Nassau County has expanded.

For families, confirming the current zoned schools and any choice options for a specific home is worth doing, since Nassau's attendance lines have shifted with the area's growth. For the many golf-and-lifestyle and retiree buyers at Amelia National, schools are less central, and the value case rests on the golf, the amenities, the custom homes, and the coastal location, which is the right lens for evaluating a community like this.

Amenities & Lifestyle

Amelia National's amenities are built around its country-club core. The French Provincial clubhouse offers a full-service restaurant and lounge, a pro shop, locker rooms, massage rooms, a game room, and meeting and event spaces including a banquet hall, while the 18-hole Tom Fazio course, driving range, and eight-acre practice facility anchor the golf experience.

Beyond golf, residents enjoy a resort-style pool complex, eight lighted championship tennis courts, a fitness center with spa and massage services, basketball courts, sports fields, and miles of walking and biking trails, with on-site concierge service handling reservations, transportation, and other needs. The manned, gated entrance adds security and privacy. It is a deep, resort-caliber amenity set for a community of its size.

Access to the golf and club amenities runs through the club membership, which is separate from home ownership and offered in lifestyle and golf tiers with a food-and-beverage minimum, covered in the cost section. Understanding exactly what your membership includes and costs is essential before buying, since it is the largest recurring expense here.

HOA & CDD

Amelia National's cost structure has three parts buyers should map. The HOA covers the gated community's common areas and security. The community was established with a CDD, but the CDD bond is paid off on many homes, which removes a meaningful piece of the annual cost, a real value point to confirm for any specific home, since it varies. And the club membership is separate.

The club membership is the number that most affects the all-in cost and the one buyers most often underestimate. It comes in lifestyle and golf tiers, with a food-and-beverage minimum, and is a significant ongoing expense regardless of how often you play. The honest way to evaluate Amelia National is to total the home, the HOA, any remaining CDD, and the realistic club cost for your intended use, then compare that against other golf communities. Get every figure, including whether the CDD bond is paid off and the current membership terms, in writing before you buy, since the headline home price is only part of the cost.

Commute Analysis

Amelia National's location near Fernandina Beach and Yulee balances coastal access with regional connectivity. Amelia Island's beaches and the historic downtown Fernandina Beach are roughly 15 minutes away, and the community sits a short drive from I-95, which puts the Jacksonville airport, downtown Jacksonville, and south Georgia, including St. Marys, within easy reach.

For a golf-and-lifestyle or retiree buyer, the relevant access, the beach, the airport, healthcare, and dining, is strong, with Nassau County's quieter roads a welcome contrast to the busier Jacksonville corridors. The trade versus an on-island Amelia address is being minutes from rather than on the beach, in exchange for the golf, the custom homes, and a lower price. As always, drive the routes that matter to you before committing.

Shopping & Dining

Everyday shopping and dining are a short drive in the Yulee area, which has grown its retail along the SR-200/A1A corridor with grocery, big-box, and restaurant options, so daily errands do not require a long trip. The community's own clubhouse dining adds a convenient on-site option for residents.

For more, historic downtown Fernandina Beach offers boutique shopping, galleries, and a celebrated restaurant scene about 15 minutes away, and Amelia Island adds resort dining and shops. Jacksonville's larger retail, including the St. Johns Town Center, is a reasonable drive via I-95. The mix, growing Yulee retail nearby plus Fernandina's charm and Jacksonville's scale within reach, suits the community well.

Pros and Cons

Amelia National vs. Comparable Communities

The honest way to place Amelia National is against the other golf and coastal-area options a Nassau or Northeast Florida buyer is realistically weighing. Each trades something different.

Amelia National's case against this field is attainable country-club golf: a Tom Fazio course with an unusually low initiation fee, ICI custom homes, resort amenities, and the Amelia Island beaches minutes away, often with the CDD bond paid off. The case against it is the separate club cost and the near-but-not-on-the-beach location, where a buyer wanting Ponte Vedra's pedigree would pay far more and a buyer wanting beachfront would look on-island.

Hidden Things Buyers Should Know

First, the club membership is the cost that decides the real number, not the home price. Get the current lifestyle and golf membership terms and the food-and-beverage minimum in writing, and budget the club as a fixed expense.

Second, confirm whether the CDD bond is paid off on the specific home. It is on many but not all, and a paid-off bond is a meaningful, quantifiable saving you can verify.

Third, compare building new with ICI against buying a resale. A resale on a premium golf or water lot, updated and with the bond paid off, can beat a new build once lot premiums and options are added, or vice versa, so run both.

Fourth, lot position drives price and enjoyment. Golf-frontage and water lots carry premiums and, in the case of golf frontage, some stray balls and foot traffic, so weigh the view against the cost.

Fifth, the listing agent works for the seller and the membership office works for the club. Your own agent, at no cost to you, runs the all-in comparison, including the club cost, that neither of them will.

Momentum Expert Insight

Amelia National is one of the most attainable ways to own in a Tom Fazio golf community in Northeast Florida, with one of the lowest Fazio initiation fees, ICI custom-home quality, resort amenities, and the Amelia Island beaches minutes away. The money is made or lost on the club cost and the specific home, so our job, at no cost to you as a buyer, is to total the true all-in number, the home, HOA, any remaining CDD, and the realistic membership cost, confirm whether the bond is paid off, and tell you honestly whether building or buying resale fits you better.

Our read is that Amelia National fits a golfer or country-club buyer who wants the lifestyle near the coast without Ponte Vedra pricing, and who values custom-home quality and Nassau County's quieter pace. Tour it against the Ponte Vedra clubs and the on-island options, then let us run the numbers. Momentum Realty is Northeast Florida's number one independent brokerage, with 270-plus agents, 800-plus verified five-star reviews, and over $3.5 billion in closed sales, and we represent buyers across Nassau and the coast every week.

Frequently Asked Questions

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