The new Naples Pier is targeting a summer 2027 opening, with an estimated completion of July 2027, according to an October 6, 2026 Naples Daily News report. That makes this winter the fourth season without it. Hurricane Ian took the old pier on Sept. 28, 2022. July is a forecast, not a ribbon-cutting date. Still, the schedule has held since the January groundbreaking.
The more useful news is what the city chose to build. The pier rising off 12th Avenue South is heavier, taller and simpler than the one Ian broke. It is designed for fishing, walking and looking into the Gulf. The permanent restaurant and outdoor dining that used to sit at its foot have been dropped on purpose. So the pier will cover the walk out, and the surrounding blocks will cover the snacks, dinner and lingering afterward. That split is already showing up this season.
Where the Rebuild Stands in October 2026
The best gauge of progress is concrete. The project needs about 602 cubic yards in total. Shoreline Foundation, the contractor, poured the first 20 or so in late June. By July 24, about 200 cubic yards were in place. On September 18, crews finished the mid-pavilion pour, which took the job past half of all the concrete it needs. That's half the concrete, not half the project. The decking that people will actually walk on comes after the concrete.
Here is the sequence so far, from the City of Naples project page:
- January 5, 2026: Public groundbreaking ceremony at the pier, with construction starting the next day.
- April 13, 2026: Demolition of the old pier completed.
- April 24, 2026: 59 concrete pilings from the old pier deployed at Wasmer Reef.
- June 17, 2026: A construction trestle went up on the pier's south side, so work can continue when offshore barges have to take shelter from weather.
- July 24, 2026: Third concrete pour finished, and two-thirds of the new decking delivered.
- September 18, 2026: Mid-pavilion pour finished, passing the halfway mark for concrete.
The decking is ipe, a tropical hardwood the city picked because it resists rot. Installation starts once all the concrete has been poured. The city lists the remaining work in order: finish the piles and substructure, complete the framing and decking, install utilities, then add visitor amenities such as benches and fish-cleaning stations. In practice, that means the walkable deck should come together in the second half of the schedule, which lines up with the summer 2027 target.
The project costs $26 million, and FEMA approved $11.4 million in grant funding last December after the city spent years waiting for federal sign-off. To watch progress from your kitchen, the live pier camera is at NaplesPanorama.org.
A Leaner Pier, by Design
The old pier did not just lose a few boards in 2022. About 460 feet of it was severely damaged. Roughly 140 feet, including the end shelter and more than 30 pilings, ended up on the Gulf floor, and waves gutted the concession area, the midpoint shelter and the storage rooms. City engineers decided the whole structure had to be replaced.
The replacement answers that damage directly. It also deliberately changes what happens on land:
| Pier lost to Ian | Pier opening 2027 | |
|---|---|---|
| Piling diameter | 14 inches | 18 inches |
| Number of piles | More, closer together | Fewer, spaced farther apart |
| Deck height | Original elevation | Raised |
| Under the decking | Earlier support | Stronger concrete under ipe |
| Food at the base | Permanent concession, Cosmos at the Pier | No permanent concession or outdoor dining |
| New on land | None of these | Beach patrol office, pier storage, shade structure with benches and educational boards |
| Underwater view | None | Underwater-observation camera kept in the contract |
The land-side changes were settled at the March 4, 2026 City Council meeting. The design team brought back a plan that followed council's earlier direction to shrink the land-side buildings and remove the concession and outdoor dining. The men's restroom on the north side gains a small beach patrol office with its own bathroom. An old changing room becomes pier storage. Next to the women's restroom on the south side, a small shade structure adds benches and space for educational boards, with the showers outside it.
Food isn't completely off the table. Council's consensus was to approve the design and have the city manager look at electrical service and possible spots for a cart selling, in the words of the meeting record, "minimal water and ice cream." No vendor has been named, and that cart is still an idea under study, not a plan. A council member also checked on the underwater-observation camera discussed at earlier meetings. The answer: it's still in the contract.
The old pier lives on offshore. Its 59 pilings, 300 tons of concrete, went down at Wasmer Reef, about 10 miles off Gordon Pass. They join an artificial reef first set up in 2015 that offers shelter and food for juvenile and adult fish.
Reaching the Sand While the Fences Are Up
The new design puts the pier's focus on the water, and for now, so does the construction. The city has closed the pier itself, the stairs, the restrooms, the showers and 12th Avenue South west of Gulf Shore Boulevard South for the length of the project. Here's how access works this season:
- Beach access: Pedestrian bypasses at the Broad Avenue South and 13th Avenue South beach ends stay open for the entire project.
- Restrooms: Available at both of those 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 a staging area for construction.
- Payment: City beach parking takes either payment or a beach parking permit, and some access points are limited to City of Naples or Collier County permit holders.
- Farther north: The city lists Lowdermilk Park among its open beach accesses. The status page notes that it's updated regularly, so it's worth checking before a beach day.
The view from the sand is part of the draw this year. The Naples Daily News expects beachgoers to have a clear view of the pier taking shape through the rest of the year and into winter.
A Line in the Water and a Sunset, Somewhere Else for Now
The new pier is getting fish-cleaning stations, which says a lot about who it's built for. Until it opens, one spot with officially designated shore fishing is up the coast at Delnor-Wiggins Pass State Park. The park allows shore fishing along Wiggins Pass at its north end and from the boat-launch dock. In the north-end area, anglers have to stay completely on dry land, and fishing isn't allowed in swimming areas. The park, at 11135 Gulfshore Drive, is open from 8 a.m. to sunset, and its own page bills it as a sunset-picnic spot. One current wrinkle: as of September 25, 2026, Wiggins Pass dredging is causing periodic closures of parking lot four, so follow the posted signs.
Licensing works differently off a pier, and FWC lays it out. A pier with a valid saltwater pier license covers everyone fishing from it, so those anglers don't need individual saltwater licenses. From shore, the rules split by residency. Florida residents who fish only from land, or from a structure attached to land, can get a no-cost shoreline saltwater license. It doesn't cover fishing from a boat or from an island you reached by boat. Nonresidents can't get the shoreline license and need a regular saltwater license unless they're fishing under a qualifying charter or pier license. The full details are on FWC's shoreline license page.
For bait close to home, the Naples City Dock at 880 12th Avenue South in Crayton Cove sells live shrimp and frozen bait at its marina.
The Blocks Around the Pier, This Fall
With no permanent concession planned at the pier, the before-and-after of a 12th Avenue South outing happens a few blocks inland. That's already true this fall.
On the waterfront in Crayton Cove, The Dock at Crayton Cove gets busy enough that golden-hour waits can stretch to two hours, according to a June 2026 Gulfshore Life profile. Ian put more than four feet of water inside, and the owners spent two months restoring it before reopening in late 2022.
Third Street South's fall calendar is already posted:
- Bon Marché Autumn Sidewalk Sale, Oct. 15 to 18: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily, with more than 25 businesses taking part and promotions that vary by shop.
- Naples Tree Lighting, Monday, Nov. 23: 6 to 9 p.m., with Third Street South closed to traffic.
- Christmas on Third, Nov. 23 to 29: Tuesday through Saturday brings live music from 5 to 8 p.m., snowfall at 7 p.m., and shops open until 7 p.m. There's no programming on Thanksgiving Day.
- Saturday farmers market: The summer market runs 7:30 to 11:30 a.m. in the parking lot behind Tommy Bahama. The market page says the winter season will feature Arte Viva but hasn't posted a winter start date yet.
The pier has been part of Naples since 1888. The city says it drew more than a million visitors a year and was rebuilt after storms in 1910, 1926, 1944 and 1960. The version scheduled to open in summer 2027 stands on 18-inch pilings and a raised deck, with fish-cleaning stations on the amenity list and no permanent restaurant at its base.
If you live near the Third Street South and Crayton Cove blocks, the pier's return will change what's on your doorstep. If you're thinking about what that means for your own place near the 12th Avenue beach end, Jodi Kaplan Group is happy to talk it through over coffee, ideally within sight of the cranes. Contact Us.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.
