About

The Florida Surf Museum (formerly the Cocoa Beach Surf Museum) was founded in 1999, inside a space so small you could barely turn a longboard around. The concept of a surf museum was a relatively new one at the time, but the community quickly latched on to Sean O’Hare’s vision, volunteering and donating much-needed funds.

For two years, boxes of stuff kept coming through the front door filled with surf magazines, pictures, trophies, and all kinds of memorabilia. Natural progression and the sheer volume of “stuff” made moving inevitable.

In 2000, the  Museum made its way to Natural Art Surf Shop on A1A. The shop took the museum under its wing and helped it along. The small museum and its volunteer force grew, as did the inventory and the list of local events produced in support of the museum.

In 2003, the Museum merged with the East Coast Surfing Hall of Fame and moved again into a bigger space at the Ron Jon Surf Shop watersports building. After a time, missions diverged and in November 2007 we separated from the ECHOF and returned to our roots a the Cocoa Beach Surf Museum.

In 2015, the Florida Surf Museum was created to expand the historical preservation parameters of the museum to highlight the surfing history and  culture of the entire state of Florida. The Florida Surf Museum is dedicated to preserving Florida’s rich surfing heritage through exhibits, research and preservation.  Physical exhibits in the museum space at RonJon Surf Shop are rotated regularly to showcase the people, places and memorabilia that make Florida’s surfing history unique. FSM has a robust online presence which includes a webpage that presents in- depth articles, interviews and images that complement and enhance our exhibits. We also have an active Facebook page and YouTube channel that features contemporary and historical videos.

In addition, the museum actively engages the community through public events, surfing contests and support ,through cash  donations, to scholastic surf teams and other scholastic organizations. FSM’s signature event, Surfing Santas of Cocoa Beach, is an internationally recognized celebration that allows FSM to donate funds to local charitable organizations such as Grind For Life, a cancer victims support non-profit organization.

RonJon Surf Shop is our corporate sponsor. They graciously provide our space free of charge. Florida Surf Museum is an all-volunteer, 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

• John Hughes – Executive director
• Bill Tweedie – President
• Melody DeCarlo – Vice President
• Marie Hughes – Treasurer
• Karen Lucas- Secretary
• Sean O’Hare – President Emeritus
• Ron Casey
• Casey Baker
• Steve Casanova
• Rob Doyle
• George Trossett
• Dalton Smith

LOCATION