"One of the most asked questions these days around Collier County is: When will the new Naples pier be open?" That's how the Naples Daily News opened its October 6 update. The question makes sense. The pier at 12th Avenue South has been closed since Hurricane Ian in 2022, and the rebuild has been fenced off since crews broke ground in January.
What comes back when it opens was settled at a City Council meeting on March 4, 2026. The pier that reopens will be sturdier and sit higher than the one Ian wrecked, and it will be noticeably plainer on the landside. The concession stand is not part of the plan.
What Council Took Off the Plans in March
The landside design went before City Council on March 4. The design team told Council it had revised the plans after being directed to remove the concessions and outdoor dining. Then it showed side-by-side renderings of the old and new versions.
| Element | Earlier landside design | Design Council moved forward with |
|---|---|---|
| Food service | Concession stand with outdoor dining | No permanent concession |
| North building | Men's restroom | Men's restroom plus a small Beach Patrol office with its own bathroom; the old rear changing room becomes pier storage |
| South building | Women's restroom | Women's restroom plus a small shade structure with benches and space for educational boards |
| Showers | Outside the restrooms | Still outside, next to the new shade structure |
| Stairs | Existing position | Same position |
| Deck and building size | Larger deck, larger buildings | Much smaller deck space and smaller buildings |
The food question came up again before the vote. During the discussion it was noted that the city has a policy against food trucks, which ruled out a truck at the pier on set days. Council's consensus was to go ahead with the design as presented. It asked the city manager to look at electrical service and a possible spot for a cart offering "minimal water and ice cream" to visitors.
The next day, the Naples Daily News reported that Council had kept its decision to leave out a permanent concession while allowing for limited portable carts on the landside. WINK News reported that the decision was unanimous. It also reported that vending machines, mobile carts and food trucks all came up, with no alternative chosen.
As of mid-October, no cart operator has been announced. The city's open bids page lists the Harbour Drive and Crayton Road roundabout work and no pier food vendor. The City of Naples project page lists the visitor amenities still planned as benches and fish-cleaning stations.
That's a real change from the pier Ian took. The city's own account of the storm says the concession area, midpoint shelter and storage were "completely gutted" by the waves. Under the current plan, the concession doesn't come back in any permanent form.
Where the Money Went Instead
Most of the investment is in the structure over the water. The construction contract went to Shoreline Foundation, Inc. for $23.5 million in October 2024. Turrell, Hall & Associates is leading the design work with MHK Architecture.
The city lists the resiliency changes in plain terms:
- Fewer piles, spaced farther apart, to limit impacts on the shoreline
- Pile diameter up to 18 inches from the previous 14
- More concrete support under the decking
- A higher overall pier elevation
- A deck of Ipe, a tropical hardwood the city picked for its durability and resistance to rot
These changes reflect the pier's history. It has stood here since 1888 and has been rebuilt after storms in 1910, 1926, 1944 and 1960. It was renovated in 2015, damaged by Irma two years later, and hit by Ian five years after that. During Ian, about 460 feet of the pier was severely affected. Roughly 140 feet, including the end shelter and more than 30 pilings, ended up on the Gulf floor.
How Far Along It Is
Concrete is the clearest measure of progress, and the city's timeline tracks it:
- January 6, 2026: Construction begins, a day after the public groundbreaking.
- April 13: Demolition of the old pier is complete.
- May 5: A month of diving begins to clear debris, including buried pilings from the 1990s, before the new piles go in.
- June 17: Crews start building a trestle along the south side, which lets work continue when weather sends the offshore barges to shelter.
- June 26: The first concrete pour for the bents, about 20 cubic yards. The whole project needs about 602 cubic yards.
- July 24: Third pour done, with about 200 cubic yards placed. Two-thirds of the new decking has arrived.
- September 18: The mid-pavilion pour takes the project past 50 percent of the total concrete.
The city credits a calm summer for keeping the pace up. It reports that most production piles are in, and crews are building the concrete substructure, framing and the first sections of decking. Work on electrical systems and the restroom and storage building is also underway. The city says the Ipe planks go down once all the concrete is poured. A continuous wood surface running out over the Gulf will be a late-stage sight.
Where the Old Pier Went
Some of the old pier is still in the Gulf, just much farther out. On April 24, the city deployed 59 concrete pilings at Wasmer Reef, expanding an artificial reef first created in 2015. WINK News reported that the city, Shoreline Foundation and Turrell, Hall & Associates placed the pilings about 10 miles offshore of Gordon Pass under a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers permit. WINK also reported that the reef was originally built through a multi-agency effort funded by BP oil-spill grants and private donations. The Naples Daily News called it something for deep-sea divers to check out.
This Season's Beach Routine Runs Through Broad and 13th
Until the pier reopens, the way to the sand in this part of Olde Naples is to the north or south of the work zone. The pier, its stairs, restrooms and showers are all closed for the project. So is 12th Avenue South west of Gulf Shore Boulevard South.
- Beach access: The city set up pedestrian bypasses at the Broad Avenue South and 13th Avenue South beach ends. Both stay open for the whole project.
- Restrooms: Available at both bypass locations.
- Parking: The western third of the pier lot at 12th Avenue South and Gulf Shore Boulevard South is open to the public. The eastern two-thirds is closed for construction.
The pier lot will feel tighter than usual as winter visitors arrive, since only a third of it is open. The two beach ends stay open throughout construction and are the most dependable way onto the beach while work continues.
When It Opens
The city hasn't published a calendar date. Its project page says the pier will be closed for "approximately 18 months" from the January 6, 2026 start, which lands around July 2027. A Wisevoter summary updated October 6, which credits reporting by The News-Press, gives a projected completion of summer 2027. That's a projection and could still change. On the city's account, the work still to come includes the remaining piles and substructure, framing, decking, utilities, and the benches and fish-cleaning stations.
If that projection holds, the 2026–27 winter season will be the last one without a pier. When it reopens, there will be benches, fish-cleaning stations, a shade structure and showers. A cart selling water or ice cream is possible if the city follows through. There will be no concession stand.
If you live near 12th Avenue South and want to talk through how a project like the pier affects daily life and access around your street, Laurel McGarel Group is happy to help. We track Olde Naples projects closely, from council decisions through reopening. Schedule a private consultation and we'll walk you through what we're seeing block by block.