NAPLES, Fla. — The City of Naples officially broke ground on its new pier Monday after more than three years of planning, permitting, and preparation. The milestone marks a key step in the community’s recovery from Hurricane Ian.
The groundbreaking ceremony came three years, three months and eight days after Ian devastated Southwest Florida in 2022, destroying the iconic pier which has been a symbol of the Naples area.
WATCH AS THE CITY OFFICIALLY BROKE GROUND ON THE NEW NAPLES PIER:
"When completed this pier will honor the past, while meeting the needs of the future," Naples Mayor Teresa Heitmann said.
Local and state leaders joined dozens of people to mark the start of a project that begins with demolition. Crews will take down what remains of the old pier over the next four months.
U.S. Congressman Byron Donalds attended the ceremony and credited the federal government for removing red tape.
"Whether it was here in Naples, Marco Island, Fort Myers Beach, Sanibel Island, Pine Island, Captiva or anywhere else. That resolve, that heart to rebuild, the desire to get back to life, really happened right after the storm passed. Everybody picked up what was necessary and they got to work," Donalds said.
City leaders say with the recent approval of over $11 million in FEMA grants, the project now has all its funding in place.
The entire project is expected to take about a year-and-a-half from start to finish.
"We've had everything we've needed, it's only about making sure we dot our i's and cross our t's with FEMA and Army Corps of Engineers to get the permits to assure we're not wasting money that was on the table for this project," Naples City Manager Gary Young said.
For many locals, the groundbreaking marks the end of a long wait to see their beloved pier restored.
"We can't tell you how excited we are that this project is on the way," David Patzwahl said.
"Well, we've all been waiting for the design to start and I'm so happy with the builders," Diane Jaarsma-Holm said.
"Hopefully that whatever they do will sustain whatever weathers ahead and we can enjoy for a lot of years to come," Randi Raskin added.
The Naples pier could reopen as early as July 2027.
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