"Mark my words, if we don't have concessions, we are going to get lambasted by our residents and our tourists." Naples City Council member Berne Barton said this on March 4, 2026, just before Council voted unanimously to approve the final design for the new Naples Pier. That design has no permanent concession stand and no outdoor dining.
Seven months later, the new pier is taking shape off the end of 12th Avenue South. On September 18, Shoreline Foundation Inc. finished the concrete pour for the mid-pier pavilion. That pour put the project past half of all the concrete the rebuild needs. Most of the coverage this fall asks when the pier will open. The more useful question for anyone who lives a few blocks away is what kind of pier is coming back. The storm-resilience rules that make it higher and stronger are the same rules that removed the food stand, which had operated in some form since 1946.
The decision that took food off the water
The pier has offered food since 1946. Cosmos at the Pier ran the concession from 2015, selling pizza, hot dogs, drinks and beach supplies. The city earned about $100,000 a year from it. The design dropped that stand after the Federal Emergency Management Agency said neither the former Cosmos space nor any other permanent concession would be allowed over the water, citing risk and new guidelines.
FEMA's position carries weight because FEMA is paying for much of the rebuild. The agency confirmed the pier's eligibility for in-kind replacement in May 2025 and committed the funding on December 12, 2025, three weeks before construction began.
Council had already leaned this way. In July 2024, after reviewing survey results, members agreed by consensus that concessions were unnecessary. They said a stand could cause congestion at the pier entrance and bring noise, odors and other problems for the homes nearby. The March 2026 debate showed how council members weighed it:
- Berne Barton pressed for some food service and suggested pre-made sandwiches or pizza slices under heat lamps.
- Bill Kramer, who represents the city on the county Tourist Development Council, supported a cart but opposed bringing back permanent concessions. "Most locals I know are bringing their own whatever because they're not paying those concession prices," he said.
- Linda Penniman supported a portable cart but did not want anything that would compete with nearby local businesses.
- Mayor Teresa Heitmann did not want to reopen the concession question but noted that portable options had come up before, and she called the cart "a great compromise."
- City Manager Gary Young said FEMA would not prohibit a portable cart. When council member John Krol asked about space for a food truck, Young said there was no room for one.
The likely result is a cart selling water, ice cream and soda, and the design includes electrical power on the land side to run one. As of the March vote, Council had agreed to explore a cart, not to commit to one. The lost Cosmos revenue was also discussed. Young said the city receives a $500,000 Tourist Development Council grant each year to maintain and operate the pier and the beach ends, and beach parking revenue and beach funds also go toward the pier.
The same rules are making the pier stronger
The food stand is gone for the same reason the structure is being built heavier. The pier has been rebuilt after hurricanes in 1910, 1926, 1944 and 1960. It was renovated in 2015, damaged by Irma two years later, and then badly damaged by Ian. When Ian hit on September 28, 2022, about 460 feet of the pier was severely damaged. Around 140 feet of it, including the end shelter and more than 30 pilings, ended up on the Gulf floor. City engineers decided the whole structure had to be replaced.
According to the City, the new design uses 18-inch pilings in place of the old 14-inch pilings. The pilings are fewer and spaced farther apart to disturb less of the shoreline. The concrete support under the decking is stronger, and the whole pier sits higher. The decking will be ipe, a tropical hardwood chosen because it resists rot. Gulfshore Business describes the result as the seventh reconstruction of the 137-year-old pier, with a project cost of $26.3 million. The construction contract itself, awarded to Shoreline Foundation Inc. in October 2024, was $23.5 million.
The City's construction log shows how far the project has come since the January 5 groundbreaking:
| Date in 2026 | Milestone |
|---|---|
| January 6 | Construction begins |
| April 13 | Demolition of the old pier completed |
| April 24 | 59 concrete pilings from the old pier placed at Wasmer Reef, an artificial reef first built in 2015 |
| May 5 | Divers begin a month of debris removal, including pilings buried since the 1990s |
| June 17 | South-side trestle installation begins, so work can continue when barges leave for weather |
| June 26 | First concrete pour, about 20 cubic yards, out of roughly 602 needed |
| July 24 | Third pour completed, about 200 cubic yards poured in total; two-thirds of the decking has arrived |
| September 18 | Mid-pavilion pour pushes the project past half of the total concrete |
The pier you won't be able to walk on this season has already found a second use offshore. The old pilings now sit on the Gulf floor at Wasmer Reef, where the City says they expand the reef.
The City credits a calm summer with keeping work on pace. Most of the production piles are in, and crews are building the concrete base, framing and the first sections of decking. Workers are also running electrical lines and renovating the bathroom and storage building. Still ahead are the last of the piles and concrete base, the rest of the framing and decking, utilities, and amenities such as benches and fish-cleaning stations. The ipe decking goes down only after all the concrete has been poured. On September 21, the Naples Daily News flew a drone over the site for a progress report, published October 1.
What the pier will offer instead of food
Without food service, the new pier is designed for fishing, walking and looking at the water. The final design adds an underwater camera so visitors can watch marine life. The fish-cleaning stations and benches on the City's remaining work list point the same way. The City's approved renderings, published on its parks page, show shade structures, an end pavilion, a ramp and the approach to the pavilion.
On land, the third version of the design by Naples-based MHK Architecture has fewer buildings than earlier versions. Architect Maureen Minker told Council the north men's restroom at the pier entry will include a family restroom and a small beach patrol office with its own bathroom. A rear changing room has been turned into pier storage. Outside the women's restroom on the south side, the plan adds a shade structure and benches. The entry area will have shade and seating, along with restrooms, a beach patrol office and storage.
This season at the end of 12th Avenue South
Until the pier reopens, the closure covers more than the walkway. The City lists four closed areas:
- The pier itself and its stairs
- The restrooms and showers at the pier
- 12th Avenue South west of Gulf Shore Boulevard South
- The eastern two-thirds of the pier parking lot at 12th Avenue South and Gulf Shore Boulevard South, which is closed for construction activities
The western third of that lot stays open for public parking. The City has set up pedestrian bypasses to the beach at the Broad Avenue South and 13th Avenue South beach ends, both with restrooms, and says they will stay open for the whole project. Also on Broad Avenue South is the Olde Naples Hotel at 200 Broad Ave. S. The hotel's first building and Annie's Bistro, Bar & Bakery opened in May.
The City still gives an overall timeline of about 18 months and no fixed reopening date. In an August 15 report, Gulf Coast News described the pier as 40% complete and said officials were aiming to reopen by July 2027. That fits an 18-month schedule counted from the January 6 start, but it is still a target. That puts the full 2026–27 winter season on the open beach next to an active work site. The ipe decking can't start until the last concrete is poured, so decking will be the next visible milestone.
When it opens, the new pier will stand higher on thicker, more widely spaced pilings, with an underwater camera and places to clean the day's catch. Any food will most likely come from a portable cart selling water, ice cream and soda, if Council goes ahead with one.
If the pier is part of how you think about where you live in Old Naples, or you are weighing a home within walking distance of 12th Avenue South, Mary Wolleon can talk through how the rebuild timeline and the beach-end access fit with the streets around it. Let's Connect.
