Navarre Beach Pier to reopen Thursday while repairs are underway
The Navarre Beach Pier reopened to the public on Thursday after overnight storms earlier this week caused major damage to the structure.
Some repairs are still being made and the water line is not functional, but the pier has been deemed safe for visitors wishing to walk or fish from the scenic structure.
The pier gift shop is open but the Windjammers side of the facility, including the restaurant bathrooms, will remain closed for repairs.
The pier had received a $1.2 million facelift in 2020, as crews using Santa Rosa County general revenue and tourism tax dollars installed new, weather-resistant wooden planks along the entire length of the 1,545 foot structure, the longest fishing pier in the state of Florida.
That project took five months to complete and was finished just in time to re-open to visitor traffic as the state lifted pandemic restrictions.
The recent damage was caused as strong winds and heavy rain battered much of the Gulf Coast early Tuesday morning, causing sporadic but significant damage across the region.
Though the pier took a heavy blow, Escambia and Santa Rosa counties were seemingly spared the worst of the storm damage. Despite heavy wind gusts that toppled a tree onto one West Pensacola home and ripped the roof off another, there have been no reports of serious injury.
The Navarre Beach Pier has weathered many a tropical storm in its 55-year history and suffered significant damage in 1995 during Hurricane Opal and again in 2004 due to Hurricane Ivan, a Category 3 storm that hit Gulf Shores, Alabama.
The pier remained closed following Ivan until 2010, when the entire structure was reconstructed at a cost of nearly $9 million.
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Navarre Beach Pier to reopen Thursday after severe weather damage
