DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - With the approval of the Daytona Beach City Commission Wednesday night, the price tag for repairs to the Main Street pier is going to see a sizable increase. With the initial price tag having been set at $684k, the new figure is projected to come in at over $1.5 million.
In order for this huge new spending commitment to be approved, the City Commission would simply have to vote yes on its consent agenda. This group of items is lumped together for the Commission to approve in one quick vote, as opposed to unpacking each item individually. Any particular measure on the consent agenda rarely provokes prolonged discussion.
The iconic Daytona Beach Pier received heavy damages during the impacts of hurricanes Nicole and Ian, both of which ravaged large portions of Florida's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. The pier celebrates its 98th anniversary this year, and residents hope to see it in relatively good condition for that milestone - at least compared to its current state.
The most visible damage to the pier is at the end, in the section designated for fishing. Jagged planks jut out over the water where storm surge and high winds tore through, leaving the section visibly deteriorated and unusable. That area will need to be fixed, as well as some of the underlying structure beneath the Joe's Crab Shack restaurant.
Should the Commission approve the pier restoration measure, those funds will go primarily toward repairing the system of beams and pilings that hold the pier up. Officials within the city government are pursuing a potential grant from the federal government to have their expenditures reimbursed.
