New St. Pete Pier Moves Forward With Construction Set to Begin this Month

St. Pete's "Million Dollar Pier" open in 1926 and was demolished in 1967.

Throughout St. Pete’s history, the public pier has always been a waterfront destination. From the “Railroad Pier” to the “Million Dollar Pier” and the famed “Inverted Pyramid," the history of the pier runs nearly as deep as the city’s.

The "Inverted Pyramid" Pier, the most recent iteration of the pier, open in 1973 and was demolished in 2013.

The most recent iteration of the St. Pete Pier, the "Inverted Pyramid," closed its doors to the public for the last time on May 31, 2013. Since then, there has been a long, often controversial, pier replacement process that has involved countless public forums and information sessions, a dramatic citizens referendum, and of course, a lot of emotion.

Now, exactly four years later, St. Pete is entering a new chapter in its pier history. On Wednesday—May 31st, 2017—the city officially received a permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to begin construction on the new St. Pete Pier. This was the final permit needed before construction could begin.

The following day, on June 1st, the St. Pete City Council voted to approve the first $17.6 million phase of the project, making construction, not only probable, but imminent. Construction could begin as early as June 27th, which will involve driving the pilings that will support the pier structure and concrete platform. Phase two of the project is set to begin this fall on work above the pier platform.

In total, the pier project is budgeted to cost $46 million, with an additional $20 million being used to redevelop the pier approach. The City is also requesting $14 million from Pinellas County for additional pier enhancements.

When completed, the new pier will include a number of amenities such as: a restaurant and event space at the pier head, a lawn bowl for concerts and events, an education center and wet classroom, multiple fishing decks, open air market pavilions and stalls, floating platforms, and more.

The project is expected to be complete in early 2019, which will signal the end to an almost 6 year pierless period in our city's history, but it will mark the beginning of a new iconic St. Pete Pier.

To learn more about the new St. Pete Pier, or about the project timeline, visit the new pier website.