Fishing section of Daytona Beach Pier reopens after $1.56 million in repairs
DAYTONA BEACH — Repairs to the Daytona Beach Pier, which was pummeled by tropical storms Ian and Nicole last fall, have been completed.
More than 30 pilings had to be fixed or replaced, and portions of the substructure and decking were rebuilt, according to a report by Daytona Beach City Manager Deric C. Feacher.
Most of the pier remained open during the repair work, but the wooden structure's easternmost end used for fishing had been shut down for more than nine months. That fishing section reopened Friday, and it will be open now seven days a week from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
City officials knew repairing the storm-battered Daytona Beach Pier wasn't going to be cheap. At the beginning of this year, the running tab on repairs was $684,000. Then in March, city commissioners were asked to spend another $877,932 to mend the nearly 100-year-old pier jutting out into the Atlantic Ocean.
That brought the total repair bill to $1.56 million.
The additional $877,932 covered the replacement of additional pilings, cap beams and cross bracing that were damaged by Nicole. The money also went toward tightening structural connection hardware under Joe's Crab Shack which loosened during the pair of tropical storms and rebuilding the east end of the pier.
The city hopes to eventually be reimbursed for its pier repair expenses by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Portions of the iconic pier were beat up first by Tropical Storm Ian at the end of September, and then again in early November by Tropical Storm Nicole. As the pair of storms tore through the area, 16 of the pier's pilings were swept away, cross braces and joists snapped, and decking splintered.
The fishing section of the pier was shredded and required extensive repairs.
Critical support structures under the southeast corner of the Joe's Crab Shack building were also damaged, although the restaurant only closed for a few days after Nicole blew through Volusia County.
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The city hired Orlando-based Construct Co., Inc., to tackle the repairs, the same company that handled work on the pier at the eastern tip of Main Street in 2021 and 2022.
Restoration work began in the fall.
The pier has been repaired repeatedly over the past 15 years, including one major overhaul that was completed about 10 years ago. Over the past few decades, city leaders have also occasionally discussed building a new pier, an idea being explored again.
You can reach Eileen at Eileen.Zaffiro@news-jrnl.com
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Fishing section of Daytona Beach Pier reopened Friday
