MANATEE COUNTY, Fla. — After months of work, the Anna Maria City Pier is showing signs of progress.
Visitors and residents are starting to see poles sticking out of the water where the boardwalk once was.
Part of the pier was washed away during the 2024 hurricanes.
What You Need To Know
- Repairs are underway at The Anna Maria City Pier….that work just started in November
- The pier is expected to be open to the public fall of 2026.
Cruising along on Anna Maria Island is how Alex Lucero likes to get around.
“What is it like to work in paradise? I mean, it’s pretty great,” she said.
It’s also how a lot of visitors like to get around too.
Alex handles booking rentals like bikes, golf carts, kayaks, and paddleboards at Beach Bums Island Attitude.
“I get to work with people who are on vacation,” she said.
She added business is going well since the hurricanes, despite the island being left without one of its main tourist attractions — the Anna Maria City Pier.
City officials say they are making progress with pier repairs. (Spectrum News/Julia Hazel)
Lucero said the pier is a big draw, and the damage has had an impact.
“Beforehand, the ferry used to make a stop there, so people would come over and rent bikes from us and come by our store. It’s going to be so exciting for people to come back,” she said.
City officials say they are making progress with pier repairs.
The white poles sticking out of the water are cement pilings that will later form the walkway.
Crews recently started installing them.
“The walkway calls for 130 pilings to be put in, and they are at about number 90 right now,” he said.
Mark Short, the mayor of the city of Anna Maria, said once all the pilings are complete, crews can move on to the next phase of rebuilding the walkway.
The pier is expected to be open to the public in the fall of 2026. (Spectrum News/Julia Hazel)
However, there is still more work to be done on the building at the end of the pier.
“There are repairs required to the buildings at the end, and those are in the plans. We’ll be doing those a little later,” he said.
In the meantime, nearby businesses will continue to push ahead,
looking forward to the day when repairs are complete.
“I definitely hope we’re going to be super busy. I hope to see all of our bikes off the property. I hope to be sold out of everything,” she said.
The mayor says the city anticipates the Anna Maria City Pier project will be complete and open to the public by fall of 2026.
Julia Hazel
Source link