The Flagler Beach Pier will re-open to the public by May 1. It’ll be shorter: the rebuilt pier will not include the 160 feet it lost during Hurricane Matthew, nor the T-shaped tip so cherished by fishermen. That will come later, with more permanent repairs. But those long-term repairs may entail a significantly different-looking pier, with concrete in its more lengthened future.
The Flagler Beach City Commission voted unanimously to approve the immediate, $918,000 strengthening and repair of the pier to Orlando-based Construction Co. Inc., recommended to the city as part of a bidding process by Mott Macdonald, an engineering consultant the city hired. Construction Co. was one of three bidders, with the highest bid at $1.2 million, though City Manager Larry Newsom had expected bids to be closer to the $1.4 million range.
Newsom said the city’s pier insurance, which covers up to $1.5 million in damages, will pick up the cost, though the city has a $300,000 deductible. Of that, the city expects the Federal Emergency Management Administration to pick up $225,000, and state emergency management to pick up $37,500, leaving the city’s bill at $37,500, some of which the city hopes may be defrayed with money from the county’s Tourist Development Council, which has a fund devoted to capital improvements.
The bids were opened on Feb. 2. Construction Inc. will be awarded a 60-day contract. It will be required to work seven days a week, and must finish, at the proposed price, within that window.
“If they don’t finish on time and they don’t have a very good excuse, they start paying daily dollars,” Newsom said. There is no incentive to finish early. “The incentive is, if they get it done in time, they won’t be penalized, and they can be at the ribbon-cutting.”
In its recent work history, Construction Co. has installed aluminum floating docks at three boat ramps in a $236,000 contract for Seminole County, it completed a $1.8 million shore stabilization project in Longboat Key, installed a wood observation tower for $226,000 on Marco Island, and worked as a subcontractor, installing vinyl sheetpile, earth anchors and a concrete cap on a seawall in Cocoa Beach, for $1.5 million, among other projects. See the complete list of projects here.
That will enable public use of the pier while the city studies a long-term fix, so the immediate fix will be strictly emergency repairs. The city has not yet discussed with FEMA what the federal agency would support, long-term, at least not in details. FEMA, the city manager said, may be reluctant to simply pay bills if the city doesn’t do something to stop the pier from losing parts of its structure. It did so in 2004 as well, after a series of hurricanes struck the state.
So the future of the pier may mean a more concrete-leaden structure.
“On the 28th, we are going to bring some conceptuals in here and talk about what we want the pier to look like in the future, and also what the end cap is going to look like,” Newsom said, “because one thing we want to do is figure out where we’re going. There has been one discussion where that pier stays where it’s at, and you come out and go over and build a longer, concrete pier, and you can still use that section of pier for special events—as a concept. Those are the kinds of things I’m looking at bringing forward. But either way, if you look at what your loss is, FEMA, working with our structural engineers, they may say you need to back it up a little but more on the wood, take some more out, and add concrete and go out over the water and go up. That’s the thing we have to work through. Is it going to nbe the exact same path, are there other options: that’s kind of where we want to go, because now is the time to take a look at that, with the damage you have today.”
Bids for the Flagler Beach Pier’s Emergency Repairs (2017).
Click to access pier-repairs-emergency-2017.pdf
Dave says
Why would FEMA pay the deductible? This isn’t some emergency, it’s just a fishing pier.
USA Lover says
Florida should take California’s lead when it come to piers. They make them of concrete and the surf is ten times bigger than Florida. The Marineland pier,yes they had a pier,was destroyed in the mid 1960s by a hurricane,washed out to sea,never to be seen again. But alas,this is Florida. Sad. (yes I know they still have a few old wooden piers left.)
Sw says
So now whats it going to cost 10$ to walk out on it
Steve fishbein says
But what about the crossovers at every street down to the beach?
Mark101 says
Lets see, its all about Flagler Beach and their little pier and the road and their lost dunes and it appears the heck with the lost dunes for the other impacted areas or the even the back burner mysterious Malacompra Drainage Basin project which people are already being taxed for which has been promised for a whole lot of years. This county is just plain lost. But NO, lets just build a observation tower off of Bay and a little park to go with it and waste more money. Dumb leading dumber is what I see.
Just sayin' says
Ormond had a pier as well. I remember it in the 80’s.
Get with the 21st century and build the Flagler pier longer like it was back in the 50’s when my grandparents fished on it AND build it stronger like the Jacksonville pier. I would gladly pay more if the pier was worth fishing on by being longer.
Anonymous says
Why spend the money and go through the trouble to build out pier twice. Fix it and fix it right this time. How about instead of wood, we use concrete for the structure itself, and builtd the deck the same old school pier we’ve always loved?….
Rick Belhumeur says
Anonymous, that is it exactly the type structure that is being explored. The thought is to have concrete pilings and structure with a “blow-out” deck to minimize damage from future storms. The concrete portion wouldn’t necessarily have to start at the shoreline, it’s the part sticking out in the ocean that takes the beating.
Article needs more I nfo says
Who will cover the permanent structure? Does FB have to pay for $300k deductible twice and insurance willing to pay twice for one time of damage?
John Price says
I am trilled to here that there will be fishing again stating May 1st there are plenty of friends that have been fishing this pier for years that I only see in May when I’m in Florida on vacation! Thank you to the Flagler City leaders for the effort you have put forth!
Pat says
Started fishing Flagler pier in 2011. We moved back north for 2 years and when we finally get back to pier we love so much its ruined and won’t even be fishable for the people like my wife and I that like to fish the end of the pier for several years! Can’t wait to see it rebuilt King fishermen need a much longer pier!
David from TN says
My friends and family was there when the end was taken off with hurricane in Oct 2016 we rode it out in a condo on Ormond beach I come in Oct ever year and fish off Flagler pier when we left after the hurricane we went down that way and seen what it done to the pier really broke my heart and not been back sence. Has the pier been prepared ? We are from Tennessee & Virginia and love to come back and do some fishing again. Please email info thanks