Ian's aftermath: Storms keep shortening Daytona Beach Shores' iconic Sunglow Pier

DAYTONA BEACH SHORES — Ian's take-down on Thursday of more than 200 feet of the Sunglow Pier isn't the first time the iconic structure has had sections chopped off by inclement weather.

The 62-year-old pier which measured 1,200 feet in length when it opened in June 1960 has lost portions over the years in various storms. They include hurricanes Matthew in 2016 and Floyd in 1999 as well as Nor'easters in the early 1980s.

Each time, its owners made repairs and reopened it, albeit shorter and shorter.

The present owners of the pier and Crabby Joe's Deck & Grill that sits on it vowed Friday to rebuild and reopen it yet again.

"About 250 feet (is) gone and damaged. We hope to rebuild, it's one of those iconic spots. People love to be out there," said Ray Barshay, who co-owns the Sunglow Pier and Crabby Joe's restaurant along with the Blickman and Hooper families.

"That said, you never know the true extent of the damage until you get out and have it assessed, which we plan to do," he said in a phone interview Friday evening. "At this point, speed isn't the answer. Safety is."

Crabby Joe's General Manager Nicole Devane said, "The restaurant itself is pretty much intact, but there has been extensive damage both to the front as well as to the pier behind the restaurant including the gift shop, maintenance room and fishing pier."

"The rear portion of the pier became detached and is now somewhere in the ocean," she said in a phone interview earlier Friday. The restaurant itself is "300 feet from the parking lot to the front door," she added.

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'Pier is definitely repairable'

"The pier is definitely repairable," Devane said as she assessed the damage in person on Friday afternoon. "Time will tell how fast we can get it rebuilt."

Devane said the inside dining room, kitchen and bar all appear to be intact, but acknowledged, "the main dining room in back is questionable. The main priority right now is to try to secure as much as we can and try to reopen as soon as possible once we know it's safe."

Devane said the restaurant was closed and no employees were present when the damage occurred, which was likely sometime either late Wednesday night or early morning Thursday. Crabby Joe's employs 119 workers.

The City of Daytona Beach Shores' Department of Public Safety posted a photo of the damaged pier on Facebook. "We have lost part of our iconic Sunglow Pier. Please do not come to the beach to sightsee — It is too dangerous to be out on the roads and especially at the beach."

John Luke Zona, who goes by "Luke," is the former longtime general manager of Crabby Joe's who oversaw its operations for 29 years until he retired in May of last year. Reached by phone late Thursday, he said he could immediately tell by looking at a photo of the damage what was lost in the storm.

"It's repairable," he said, adding that this is not the first time Sunglow Pier has been extensively damaged by a hurricane or tropical storm. "When (Hurricane) Matthew hit, we lost 180 feet. I was also there when (Hurricane) Floyd took out 85 feet. It used to be 1,000 feet long."

Originally made of steel

A story published by The Daytona Beach News-Journal the day before the Sunglow Pier's grand opening on June 4, 1960 described it as a 1,200-foot-long structure that was the "finest and longest steel pier on Florida's east coast."

The City of Daytona Beach Shores ordered the closure of the Sunglow Pier in 1984 and declared it unsafe after 40-foot sections fell off during Nor'easters both in 1981 and in 1982. It was rebuilt and reopened in 1988.

Devane on Friday confirmed that the pylons for the pier were originally steel, but said they were replaced in the 1980s with wooden ones.

Barshay said Sunglow Pier is now mainly a wooden structure, but said he and the other owners replaced the pilings over the beach with concrete four years ago.

Daytona Beach Shores resident Renee Michelle can see Sunglow Pier and Crabby Joe's from her condo complex on the corner of Dunlawton Boulevard and A1A. "I think it's a shame, but I'm hopeful they will rebuild," she said on Saturday. "I remember when it (Sunglow Pier) was a lot longer."

Zona said, "It's a really sad day," referring to the damage that Tropical Storm Ian inflicted on Sunglow Pier and the restaurant he used to manage. He said he grew up across the street from the pier and began working at the restaurant as a teenager.  "It's heartbreaking."

Barshay is also an owner of the Funky Pelican seafood restaurant on the Flagler Beach Pier as well as the RiverGrille on the Tomoka restaurant at 950 U.S. 1 in Ormond Beach. He confirmed that all three restaurants suffered damage during Ian.

The RiverGrille reopened on Saturday, while the Funky Pelican announced on its Facebook page that it reopened on Sunday.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Sunglow Pier in Daytona Shores shortened again by Tropical Storm Ian