The west end of 12th Avenue South is closed to the public, and so are the pier's stairs. A temporary trestle runs along the south side so work can continue when the offshore barges have to take shelter, and crews are pouring concrete in stages. On September 18, Shoreline Foundation finished the pour for the mid-Pavilion site. With that pour, the project passed the halfway mark for all the concrete the new pier needs. The current target for completion is July 2027.
That date means the whole 2026–27 season will pass with no pier in Old Naples. The things the pier offered still exist, but each one has moved somewhere else. Restrooms and beach access have moved to the Broad Avenue South and 13th Avenue South beach ends. Parking is down to a third of a lot. Fishing has new license rules and goes out of a different dock. The old pilings are 10 miles offshore. In mid-November, the Saturday crowd moves onto Third Street South. A beach morning this season works best when you know which piece moved where.
How Far Along the Rebuild Is
The City's project log shows steady progress, helped by what it calls a calm summer:
- January 5, 2026: Public groundbreaking at the pier, with construction starting the next day.
- April 13, 2026: Demolition of the old pier was completed.
- June 26, 2026: First concrete pour for the bents, about 20 cubic yards out of roughly 602 needed in total.
- July 24, 2026: Third pour finished, bringing the total to about 200 cubic yards. Two-thirds of the new decking had arrived.
- September 18, 2026: The mid-Pavilion pour passed the 50 percent mark for concrete.
The decking is ipe, a tropical hardwood the City chose because it resists rot. Crews plan to install it only after all the concrete is poured. The remaining work includes the last pile and substructure work, framing and decking, utilities, and amenities such as benches and fish-cleaning stations. The bathroom and storage building is being renovated at the same time.
The new structure differs from the old one. Its piles are 18 inches across instead of 14, and there are fewer of them, spaced farther apart to reduce the impact on the shoreline. The concrete support under the decking is stronger, and the whole pier sits higher. Turrell, Hall & Associates and MHK Architecture designed it, and Shoreline Foundation, Inc. is building it. The total cost is about $26 million, which includes $11.4 million in FEMA grant funding that came through last December after a three-year wait.
This is the latest in a long run of rebuilds. The pier dates to 1888 and was rebuilt after storms in 1910, 1926, 1944, and 1960. It was renovated in 2015, damaged by Irma two years later, and then Hurricane Ian sent about 140 feet of it, including the end shelter, to the Gulf floor in 2022.
What Moved Where
The closure covers more than the pier itself. The stairs, restrooms, and showers are closed, along with 12th Avenue South west of Gulf Shore Boulevard South. Here is where each of those services is this season:
| What the pier used to offer | Where it is this season |
|---|---|
| Beach access at 12th Avenue South | Pedestrian bypasses at the Broad Avenue South and 13th Avenue South beach ends |
| Restrooms | At both bypass locations |
| Showers | Closed with the pier and not replaced at the bypasses, according to the City's notice |
| Pier lot parking | Western third of the lot at 12th Avenue South and Gulf Shore Boulevard South |
| Fishing from the structure | Shoreline fishing under FWC license rules, or charters from Naples City Dock |
| The old pilings | Wasmer Reef, about 10 miles off Gordon Pass |
The City says the Broad Avenue South and 13th Avenue South bypasses will stay open for the entire project. The City's notice lists restrooms at the bypasses but says nothing about showers. So for a family beach morning, the restroom stop has moved to a bypass beach end, and the rinse-off station may not exist this season.
Parking in a Third of a Lot
The eastern two-thirds of the pier lot are closed for construction activities. The City still lists the Pier at 12th Avenue South as a metered beach access, along with the 100 and 200 blocks of Broad Avenue South and 13th Avenue South. That gives drivers a few nearby options when the pier lot is full.
The City's posted rate is $5 an hour with a $2.50 minimum. Pay stations take quarters and major credit cards, and the Pier stations let you extend your time by text message. The City's PayByPhone pilot covered Lowdermilk Park and 5th Avenue South, so the app may not work at the Old Naples beach ends. You can't park at the beach meters between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m.
The resident beach parking permit matters more now that spaces are scarce. It is free and good for one year, and a City permit works at both City and County beaches. City residents and owners of property in the City qualify, and so do certain Collier County property taxpayers and full-time residents. City residents apply at City Hall, 735 8th Street South. Bring a driver's license with your in-city address and your original vehicle registration, with the name and address matching on both. Owners who live elsewhere bring their official county tax statement showing the in-city property address, plus a current license and original registration or rental agreement. The permit goes inside the driver-side windshield and can't be transferred to another vehicle. If you've been meaning to get one, this season, with only a third of the pier lot open, is a good time.
Fishing Without the Pier
The pier drew more than a million visitors a year, and fishing was one of the main reasons. With the structure closed, anglers fall under state shoreline license rules. Florida residents who fish only from shore or from a structure attached to shore can get a free shoreline saltwater license. Nonresidents need a regular saltwater license unless a charter license or a pier license covers them. Anyone who reaches a fishing spot by boat needs a regular saltwater license, even if they fish from shore once they get there. The nonresident rule is the one most likely to apply to visiting relatives who plan to cast from the beach.
The Naples City Dock at 880 12th Avenue South in Crayton Cove is still the base for getting out on the water. It sits just west of marker Red 36 on Naples Bay, sells bait, and is the departure point for 17 fishing, sailing, and sightseeing charters listed by the City. A City ordinance adopted in 1984 bans fishing on or from the municipal dock and from boats moored there. Check the current code before planning to fish there, because the online code library warns it may not reflect the latest legislation. For now, the dock is a place to start a charter, not a place to drop a line.
The Pilings Are 10 Miles Out
On April 24, 59 concrete pilings were placed at Wasmer Reef, an artificial reef first set up in 2015. The Naples Daily News reported that the pilings weigh 300 tons and sit about 10 miles offshore of Gordon Pass in the Gulf. The paper described them as a foundation for marine life and noted that divers can explore the reef. Before that, the contractor spent a month diving to clear debris from the pier site, including pilings buried since the 1990s, so the new piles could go in safely.
Third Street Takes the Saturday Crowd
The calendar for the rest of the season centers on Third Street South and Cambier Park, both an easy walk from the beach ends.
The Third Street South Farmers Market runs Saturdays from 7:30 to 11:30 a.m. Through mid-November it is in the Neapolitan parking lot between Third Street South and Gordon Drive. From mid-November through April it moves onto Third Street South itself, between Broad Avenue South and 13th Avenue South. Those are the same two avenues the City picked for its beach bypasses. Once the market moves, a Saturday can start with the market and finish at either beach end without moving the car.
Other dates on the calendar:
- October 8: Evening on Fifth along Fifth Avenue South.
- October 12: Stardust Memories Big Band at Cambier Park.
- October 15–18: Third Street South Autumn Sidewalk Sale, with more than 25 participating businesses.
- October 31: Halloween Spooktacular at Cambier Park from 3 to 5 p.m., followed by live music and shopping on Fifth Avenue South from 5 to 8 p.m.
- November 1, 14, 15, and 28: Naples Concert Band, a Fine Arts & Craft Show, Naples Big Band, and Art in the Park, all at Cambier Park.
The City posts each construction milestone on its Naples Pier Rebuild Project page. The next big step to watch for there is the start of decking installation.
At Potter Trinity, our ties to Potter Homes mean we follow coastal construction schedules like this one the way builders do: pour by pour, permit by permit. If you own in Old Naples and want to know what the rebuilt pier and its 2027 timeline could mean for your property, Schedule Your Consultation and we'll go through it with you.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.
