The Naples Pier that reopens at the foot of 12th Avenue South will be higher, built on fewer pilings, and will have no restaurant. Most of the old pier hasn't left the Gulf. Fifty-nine of its concrete pilings now sit in 40 feet of water off Gordon Pass, where they serve as fish habitat. Taken together, the decisions made this year move the pier's purpose from lingering over a meal toward watching the water, both above and below the surface.
Halfway Poured, by the City's Own Count
The City of Naples keeps a running project log, and the milestones since January show steady progress:
- January 5, 2026: groundbreaking ceremony, with construction starting the next day.
- April 13: demolition of the old pier completed.
- June 17: Shoreline Foundation Inc. began installing a trestle on the south side, so crews can keep working when offshore barges have to take shelter from weather.
- June 26: first concrete pour for the bents.
- September 18: concrete poured for the mid-pavilion, taking the project past 50% of the pier's total concrete.
The whole project needs about 602 cubic yards of concrete. By late July, roughly 200 cubic yards had been placed and two-thirds of the new ipe decking had arrived. Ipe is a tropical hardwood chosen because it resists rot, and it goes down only after all the concrete is poured. So the visible decking phase is still ahead.
A Marco Eagle reporter visited the site on August 4 and found several cranes moving material for crews working across the structure. The paper reported a July 2027 completion target. That date is an estimated end of construction. The City has not announced a reopening day or an opening event.
The construction has drawn its own audience. In February, the Marco Eagle described beachgoers watching crane work and piling tests from beside the fenced site as a new pastime.
The Pier That Comes Back Will Not Serve Lunch
The City puts the pier's original construction at 1888. It has been rebuilt after hurricanes in 1910, 1926, 1944 and 1960, and it draws more than one million visitors a year. The City's own list of what those visitors came for includes using the concession. Hurricane Ian in September 2022 left the mid-pier concession, shelter and storage buildings completely gutted by waves. About 140 feet of the pier's end ended up on the bottom of the Gulf.
That concession is not being rebuilt. Gulfshore Business reported that FEMA told the City that neither the former Cosmos at the Pier nor any permanent concession stand would be allowed over the water, citing risk and new guidelines. On March 4, Naples City Council voted unanimously for the third version of a design by Naples-based MHK Architecture. That plan shrinks the land-side buildings and drops outdoor dining and permanent food service. Council agreed to look into a portable cart for water, ice cream and soda, and the plan includes electrical power on the land side to run one.
Not everyone on Council was comfortable with the change. Before the vote, council member Berne Barton said:
"Mark my words, if we don't have concessions, we are going to get lambasted by our residents and our tourists. We need to try to find a solution that will help appease those who really do want to have some type of food and beverage service out there."
The cart is still an option being explored. Nothing in the approved design has yet replaced the counter that Cosmos at the Pier ran.
What the Design Adds Instead
Without a restaurant, the money and the floor plan go toward the water and the structure. The City describes a pier raised at least three feet, with fewer piles spaced farther apart, larger pile cross-sections, and more concrete support under the ipe deck. Fewer and wider-spaced piles are meant to reduce the pier's effect on the shoreline on either side. The City also says the layout is meant to give visitors more room and avoid conflicts with people fishing.
The plans and approved renderings show these features on the water:
- Shade: pavilions at mid-pier, plus a ramp up to the end pavilion.
- A view below the surface: an underwater camera so visitors can watch marine life.
- Fishing: fish-cleaning stations are detailed in the construction plans.
- Access: the plan set has dedicated sheets for ADA compliance and ADA railings.
On land, architect Maureen Minker told Council that the north men's restroom at the pier entrance will include a small beach patrol office with its own bathroom, plus a family restroom. A changing room at the back has been turned into pier storage. The women's restroom on the south side gets a new shade structure with benches outside.
Turrell, Hall & Associates leads the architecture and engineering team with MHK Architecture, and both firms will oversee construction through to the end.
The Old Pier Went Ten Miles Out
The underwater camera points at fish around the new pilings. The old pilings are already part of a much larger habitat offshore. On April 24, the City, Shoreline Foundation and Turrell, Hall & Associates placed 59 concrete pilings from the old pier at Wasmer Reef. WINK News places the reef about 10 miles off Gordon Pass. The reef was first established in 2015 with BP oil-spill grant money and private donations.
Collier County's reef location table lists the new Wasmer Naples Pier reef here:
Detail | Published figure |
|---|---|
Coordinates | 26° 2.029′ N, 81° 58.585′ W |
Depth | 40 feet |
Relief above the bottom | 15 feet |
Material | 59 pier pilings, 250 tons of concrete |
Sources differ slightly on the details. The county table dates the deployment April 27 instead of April 24, and WINK describes the concrete as more than 300 tons. WINK says the reef supports corals, aquatic vegetation, invertebrates, bivalves, tunicates and fish. Collier County's Coastal Zone Management Department runs the county artificial reef program. It coordinates monitoring and maintenance with the county's Sea Grant Extension Agent, fishing guides and local agencies.
For anyone who keeps a boat in Naples Bay, the place where the old pier fished best is now a waypoint. Published material doesn't name a specific launch for Wasmer or set access rules for the site.
Until July 2027, the Beach Starts at Broad and 13th
The closure covers the pier itself plus its stairs, restrooms and showers, and 12th Avenue South west of Gulf Shore Boulevard South. Only the western third of the pier parking lot at 12th and Gulf Shore is open to the public. The eastern two-thirds is in use for construction. The City has set up pedestrian bypasses at the Broad Avenue South and 13th Avenue South beach ends, both with restrooms, and says they will stay open for the length of the project.
Fishing rules on the reopened pier may also change. The City's currently posted pier rules allow one pole per angler, prohibit shark fishing, and close the pier to fishing from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. The most recent ordinance date in that document is January 2018. Whatever rules apply on the new deck in 2027 should be checked once the City publishes them.
Third Street South, a few blocks inland, keeps its usual fall schedule while the pier site stays fenced. The Bon Marché Autumn Sidewalk Sale runs Thursday, October 15 through Sunday, October 18, with more than 25 participating businesses. The 49th annual Christmas on Third falls during Thanksgiving week, and the tree lighting is Monday, November 23, from 6 to 9 p.m. By the next tree lighting, the deck may be finished and the cart decision made.
If you live near 12th Avenue South and want to know how the pier rebuild and the beach-end changes affect your corner of Old Naples, Sandra Edwards is glad to talk it through. Let's Connect.
