Editor’s note: This month’s Business Beacon is a spotlight on Light Up 30A, a local company offering light installation for the holidays. Owner Jimmy Elliott talks to us about beautifully lit spaces, holiday magic and what keeps him busy the remaining months of the year. Find them on the web, Facebook and Instagram.
None of our Business Beacon features are paid placements — just genuine stories worth sharing. Have an idea or someone we should spotlight next? Tell us in the comments below!
1. How did you get the idea or concept for your business?
JE: I’ve always loved putting up Christmas lights. Growing up, my dad would deck out our entire house — rooflines, windows, doors, everything. He even built a custom wooden mount so he could light up Santa and his reindeer on the roof. Those memories stuck with me, and now I get to bring that same joy and Christmas magic to families across the Emerald Coast through Light Up 30A.
2. Let’s discuss numbers: What year did you open? How many locations do you have? How many people do you employ?
JE: I began offering Christmas light installations as a service in 2024 and officially launched Light Up 30A in 2025. We’re based in Freeport, and operate locally in Santa Rosa Beach and along 30A with our dedicated crew that handles everything from design to installation and takedown. Our growing team of five helps homes and businesses shine bright all season long.
3. What do you sell or what service do you provide? What’s your best seller?
JE: Light Up 30A provides a full-service holiday lighting experience — from custom design and professional installation to 24/7 maintenance, takedown, and storage. Our most popular option is our warm-white classic design package, which gives homes that timeless, elegant glow along rooflines, palm trees, live oaks, and landscape features. The rest of the year, we do custom wedding and event lighting with our elegant string lighting, uplighting, and twinkle curtain lights, to name a few.
4. What’s unique about what you do or offer?
JE: What sets Light Up 30A apart is our design-driven and detail-focused approach. Every project begins with a professional mock-up so customers can visualize their home before installation even begins. Each lighting line is custom-cut to fit perfectly, ensuring clean edges and no loose wires hanging anywhere. From design and installation to 24/7 maintenance, takedown, and storage, we handle every detail with precision — creating elegant, high-end displays that highlight each home’s architecture and bring out the magic of the season.
5. How would you describe your business to a potential customer?
JE: Light Up 30A is a premium Christmas and event lighting design and installation company serving everywhere along Florida’s scenic 30A, Santa Rosa Beach, and Freeport area. We make it effortless for homeowners, businesses, and events to enjoy a beautifully lit space — handling everything from custom design and installation to maintenance, takedown, and storage. Our goal is to create elegant, professional displays that capture the warmth and joy of the holiday season without our customers ever needing to lift a ladder.
6. What do you love most about your line of work?
JE: There’s nothing better than seeing the excitement on a customer’s face when their lights first turn on. Bringing that sparkle and joy to families during the holidays is incredibly rewarding. Every home we light up adds a little more magic to the community — and knowing we played a part in that makes all the long days worthwhile.
7. What sorts of trends are you seeing in your industry?
JE: More homeowners are leaning toward classic, elegant designs that highlight the architecture of their homes rather than over-the-top displays. Warm white C9 rooflines and soft mini lights on palm trees, live oaks, and landscaping have become especially popular. We’re also seeing a trend toward early booking — customers are planning ahead to make sure their homes are glowing before the season even starts.
8. Tell me in just a sentence or two what you feel sets you apart from your competitors.
JE: Light Up 30A stands out for our design expertise and attention to detail — every display is custom-cut, professionally mapped, and installed with precision. We combine high-end design mock-ups with flawless execution to deliver elegant, magazine-worthy lighting that transforms each home into a holiday showpiece.
9. Who or what inspires you? This could be a family member or celebrity, a particular quote or even a book/movie/podcast. The sky’s the limit!
JE: My biggest inspiration has always been my dad. Growing up, he went all out decorating our house for Christmas — lights on the roof, windows, and even Santa and his reindeer on top. Seeing how much joy it brought our family and neighbors stuck with me. That’s what inspires me to do what I do today — helping other families experience that same holiday magic.
10. What’s the best thing about being a part of the Emerald Coast, personally and/or professionally?
JE: The Emerald Coast is full of warm, happy people who truly appreciate community and the beauty around us. The coastal scenery and relaxed atmosphere make it such a special place to live and work. There’s something about the mix of sunshine, palm trees, and friendly faces that makes lighting up homes here feel extra magical during the holidays.
11. Are you/your business involved in the community in any way? Volunteering or giving back? If so, how?
JE: While we haven’t yet, we’ve had the chance to collaborate with other small businesses and homeowners to spread some extra Christmas spirit through our lighting displays. It’s always rewarding to see local businesses shine a little brighter during the holidays, and we’re excited to keep finding new ways to give back and get involved each year.
12. What does a typical day in your business look like? (Pretend it’s Monday (or Friday!) and take me through the highlights of your day.)
JE: During the holiday season, every day starts early — with a good breakfast, a quick team meeting, and loading up the truck with lights and supplies. From there, we’re out on installs all day, climbing ladders, running extension cords, and making sure every bulb is perfectly placed. There’s a lot of teamwork, problem-solving, and laughter along the way. By the end of the day, seeing a house lit up for the first time makes all the hard work worth it — it’s the best feeling.
13. What’s your best “insider tip?” (This could be a community tip for vacationers or homeowners or even a tip for customers related to your business.)
JE: Book early! We start designing and scheduling installations as early as August. The earlier you book, the better your chances of locking in your spot before our calendar fills up. That way, when the holidays arrive, you can simply sit back and enjoy the glow — no ladders, no tangled lights, just a beautiful, stress-free display.
14. How do you recharge or relax when the day is done?
JE: After a long day on ladders and rooftops, there’s nothing better than winding down with family. I like to relax at home, enjoy a good meal, and spend time with the people who keep me grounded. Seeing the glow of lights around town at night is a nice reminder of the joy we get to create every day — it makes the hard work worth it.
15. Just the deets, please! Where are you located? Business hours? Social media profiles and/or website links we need to know about? (Please feel free to add social media handles or direct links!)
JE: Light Up 30A is based in Freeport, Florida, and proudly serves the entire 30A and Emerald Coast area.
Our business hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday – Friday.
Editor’s note: Find them on the web, Facebook and Instagram.
16. One final question: If there was just one thing you wish the public knew about your business, what would it be?
JE: We do so much more than hang lights — we create experiences. Every home we light up becomes part of someone’s holiday memories, and that’s what drives us. From design to takedown, we handle every detail with care so our customers can focus on what really matters — enjoying the magic of the season.
