The Rebuilt Naples Pier Is Coming Back Without Its Snack Bar. Here Is Where Things Stand

"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 that on March 4, 2026, just before Council voted unanimously on the final land-side design for the rebuilt Naples Pier. Seven months later, crews have poured more than half of the pier's concrete. The question he raised still has no answer.

Over its 137 years at the west end of 12th Avenue South, the pier has been rebuilt many times. Pilings, decking and shelters have all changed from one version to the next. The pier now under construction drops something that has been part of the experience since 1946: a place on the pier to buy food. The reason is the same one behind the new pier's height and its thicker pilings.

Why the food stand cannot return

Cosmos at the Pier leased the concession space starting in 2015. It sold pizza, hot dogs, drinks and beach supplies, and it brought the city about $100,000 a year. When Hurricane Ian struck on September 28, 2022, the concession area, the midpoint shelter and the storage facilities were gutted by waves. About 140 feet of the pier, including the end shelter and more than 30 pilings, ended up on the Gulf floor.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency is helping pay for the rebuild. It obligated funding for the project on December 12, 2025. FEMA told the city that neither the former Cosmos restaurant nor any other permanent concession stand would be allowed over the water, citing risk and new guidelines.

Council had already been heading that way. In July 2024, after reviewing survey results and public demand, members agreed by consensus that concessions were unnecessary. They said a stand could crowd the pier entrance and bring noise, odors and other issues for the residents who live closest to it. The FEMA ruling settled the matter.

What the March 4 design puts in its place

The design Council approved is the third version from Naples-based MHK Architecture. It has fewer land-side buildings, no outdoor dining and no permanent food concession. It adds private offices and restrooms for police and beach patrol and keeps the public restrooms. Architect Maureen Minker walked Council through the details at the entrance.

The new pier will reach 805 feet into the Gulf. Its decking will be Ipe, a dense tropical hardwood known for resisting rot, laid over stronger concrete supports. Taken together, the design trades amenities for staying power. Each change in the table either makes the pier more likely to survive the next storm or makes it easier to staff and look after.

Seven months later, the cart is still only an idea

On March 4, Council agreed to look at options for a portable cart, with electrical power installed on the land side to run it. Barton suggested going further, with pre-made sandwiches or pizza slices kept warm under heat lamps. He said such a setup could offer food "and also not impose upon the residents that are right there."

The public record shows little since then. Council's 2026 voting record shows staff were directed on March 4 to check whether the electrical capacity could support a vendor near the pier. The agenda for Council's regular meeting on September 16 had no pier item. The only open solicitation on the city's bids page is for a roundabout at Harbour Drive and Crayton Road. The closed-bid records include no cart, mobile-vendor or concession request.

As of early October 2026, nobody has been named to run a cart. The city has not asked for bids, and Council has not voted on the idea since March. The decision is still open, and it now has a deadline. If a cart is to be ready when the pier reopens, the power, the permits and the vendor all have to be sorted out in the months that remain.

How far the structure has come

The pier itself has moved faster than the cart. Since construction began on January 6, 2026, the city's project log shows steady progress:

• April 13: Demolition of the old pier finished.
• April 24: Fifty-nine concrete pilings from the old pier were placed at Wasmer Reef, expanding an artificial reef first built in 2015.
• May 5: Divers began a month of clearing debris, including pilings buried since the 1990s.
• June 17: Crews began building a trestle on the south side so work can continue even when the offshore barges have to take shelter in bad weather.
• June 26, July 9 and July 24: The first three concrete pours. About 200 cubic yards were in place after the third, and two-thirds of the new decking had arrived.
• September 18: The pour for the mid-pier pavilion took the project past half of the roughly 602 cubic yards of concrete it needs.

The city credits a calm summer for the pace. Most of the main pilings are in, and crews are building the concrete substructure and framing, laying the first sections of decking, running electrical lines and renovating the restroom and storage building. The Ipe decking goes down only after all the concrete is poured. That makes the remaining concrete work the next thing to watch.

Shoreline Foundation Inc. won the construction contract for $23.5 million in October 2024. Gulfshore Business puts the full project at $26.3 million. The first number is the builder's contract. The second covers the whole project. Turrell, Hall & Associates leads the architecture and engineering with MHK Architecture. The Naples Daily News flew a drone over the site on September 21 and published the footage on October 1, describing significant progress.

This winter at the end of 12th Avenue South

Gulf Coast News reported on August 14 that the project was 40% complete and that officials expected to finish by July 2027. So the pier will stay closed through the 2026–27 season. City Manager Gary Young has said the real schedule talk will come later: "Once we make it through hurricane season and we know the progress of the construction at that point, then you're in position to have a conversation if we are ahead or behind." The first clear signal on whether July 2027 holds should come once this hurricane season is over.

Until then, the closure covers the pier, its stairs, the restrooms, the showers and 12th Avenue South west of Gulf Shore Boulevard South. The western third of the pier parking lot, at 12th Avenue South and Gulf Shore Boulevard South, is open to the public. The eastern two-thirds is a construction area. The city has set up walkways around the site at the Broad Avenue South and 13th Avenue South beach ends. Both will stay open for the whole project, and both have restrooms.

The pier has drawn more than a million visitors a year to fish, socialize and watch wildlife. When it reopens next summer, it will stand three feet higher on thicker pilings, with an underwater camera and fish-cleaning stations. Whether anyone will be selling a bottle of water or an ice cream at the entrance depends on a decision Council has not yet made.

The landmark at the foot of 12th Avenue South affects how a whole stretch of Olde Naples feels to live in. As the July 2027 target gets closer, Michelle Trawick will keep following the pier's progress and Council's decision on the cart. If you would like to talk about what the reopening means for your street or your plans, Michelle would be glad to hear from you. Let's Connect.

This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.