On October 7, 2026, Shoreline Foundation Inc. drove the last of the 193 reinforced-concrete pilings for the new Naples Pier. The City of Naples says the pier is still on schedule to reopen in July 2027. That means 12th Avenue South will be a construction site through the whole coming season.
When it does reopen, the pier will look familiar, but it is a different structure. The deck sits three feet higher on heavier piles. The mid-pier concession is gone for good. A Beach Patrol substation is being added. The old pier is also still around, in pieces. Fifty-nine of its pilings now sit on the Gulf floor about 10 miles off Gordon Pass, and most of the rest is being recycled into road material.
With the last piling in, the remaining sequence is short
The Naples Daily News opened its October 6 aerial-photo update with a line every Naples resident will recognize: "One of the most asked questions these days around Collier County is: When will the new Naples pier be open?" The City's rebuild page answers it with a sequence. The project has moved quickly this year:
- January 5, 2026. Public groundbreaking at the pier, with construction starting the next day.
- April 13, 2026. Demolition of the old pier completed.
- June 26, 2026. First concrete pour for the bents, the rows of pilings capped by crossbeams. The full project calls for about 602 cubic yards of concrete.
- September 18, 2026. The mid-pavilion pour pushed the project past the halfway mark on total concrete.
- October 7, 2026. The final piling went in.
- Early 2027. The contractor expects to finish all structural work, then begin installing the Ipe decking and the structures on top.
- July 2027. Projected reopening.
The City credits a calm summer for keeping construction on pace. Electrical work, plus renovations to the bathrooms and storage areas, are underway at the same time as the concrete work. Two-thirds of the new decking arrived back in July. Crews plan to start laying the Ipe, a tropical hardwood chosen for its durability and resistance to rot, once all the concrete is poured. The City's project timeline does not yet list a date for a reopening celebration.
A pier built heavier, sitting higher, with less on top
In plan view the new pier keeps its old footprint. Gulfshore Business described the design as roughly 1,000 feet long and 12 feet wide, with hardwood decking over concrete supports, two covered pavilions and bench bump-outs along the way. The real changes are below the deck and in what sits on it.
| Old pier | New pier | |
|---|---|---|
| Pile size | 14 inches square | 18 inches square, which the City calls a 65 percent boost |
| Pile length | Shorter than the new minimum | 70, 85 and 100 feet, all longer than the old pier's longest |
| Deck height | Baseline | Three feet higher above the water |
| Poured concrete | Baseline | Nearly three times as much |
| Mid-pier food service | Permanent concession | Portable food and beverage carts at the mid-pavilion |
| On-pier staffing | No substation | Small Naples Police/Beach Patrol substation |
The engineering responds directly to what Hurricane Ian did. When Ian came ashore near Cayo Costa on September 28, 2022, about 140 feet of the pier, including the end shelter and more than 30 pilings, ended up on the Gulf floor. The concession area and midpoint shelter were gutted. The new design uses fewer piles spaced farther apart to limit shoreline impacts and erosion. Thicker and longer piles carry the higher deck, and the extra concrete improves the odds that the concrete portion survives a severe hurricane.
The concession matters most for daily use. The City says state and federal rules prohibited rebuilding the former mid-pier concession. City Council looked at alternatives and chose portable carts at the mid-pavilion, an option the City says supports visitors and respects neighboring residents and businesses. Anyone who remembers grabbing a snack halfway out will find carts in its place. Basic facilities move to land. Gulfshore Business reported that the landside design approved in March 2026 includes public restrooms, a family restroom and a separate restroom for the Beach Patrol and police office.
The City awarded the construction contract to Shoreline Foundation in October 2024 for $23.5 million. Gulfshore Business put the overall project at about $26.3 million. FEMA obligated funding for the rebuild in December 2025.
The old pier's second life, 10 miles off Gordon Pass
Parts of the old pier already have a new job. On April 24, 2026, the City, Shoreline Foundation and the engineering firm Turrell, Hall & Associates sank 59 concrete pilings from the storm-damaged pier at the Wasmer Reef site. WINK News reported that the site sits about 10 miles offshore of Gordon Pass and that this was the eighth reef created there.
Wasmer Reef started in 2015 as a multi-agency effort funded by BP oil spill grants and private donations. WINK reported that more than a decade later it hosts corals, aquatic vegetation, invertebrates, bivalves and tunicates that shelter and feed both juvenile and mature fish. Collier County's artificial reef register lists the new deployment as "Wasmer Naples Pier Reef." It sits at 26° 2.029′ N, 81° 58.585′ W, in 40 feet of water, with 15 feet of relief. Collier County's Coastal Zone Management Department runs the county's artificial reef program, which it describes as supporting recreational and charter fishing and diving.
The pilings that did not go to the reef also stayed out of the landfill. They went to a recycling facility to be processed into concrete aggregate for road construction. This follows a long pattern. The City notes the pier has stood since 1888 and was rebuilt after storms in 1910, 1926, 1944 and 1960.
How 12th Avenue South works this season
Until July 2027, the beach routine at the foot of 12th Avenue South runs around the construction zone. The City's closure guidance and beach parking page set the details:
- Closed for the project. The pier itself, its stairs, restrooms and showers, plus 12th Avenue South west of Gulf Shore Boulevard South.
- Pier parking lot. Only the western third of the lot at 12th Avenue South and Gulf Shore Boulevard South is open to the public. The eastern two-thirds are closed for construction.
- The way onto the sand. The City set up pedestrian bypasses at the Broad Avenue South and 13th Avenue South beach ends. Both stay open throughout the project, with restrooms at each.
- Metered spots nearby. Broad Avenue South at the 100 and 200 blocks, 13th Avenue South, 13th Avenue South at the 100 block, and 14th Avenue South are all visitor-metered accesses.
- Permit-only beach ends. 15th through 18th Avenue South are reserved for City of Naples and Collier County beach parking permit holders.
- Freshwater showers. With the pier showers closed, the City's parking list marks 8th Avenue South as the closest visitor-metered access with showers to the north. 15th and 18th Avenue South have showers but are permit-only.
- Meter rates and hours. $5 per hour with a $2.50 minimum. No parking at metered beach spaces from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m.
The City's beach access status list also shows Lowdermilk Park open. It is a metered access with showers, farther north. For anglers who usually bought bait on the way to the pier, Naples City Dock in Crayton Cove on Naples Bay sells bait and hosts fishing charters. Access conditions near an active construction site can change, so the City's project page is the place to check before heading out.
Before Ian, the City counted more than one million visitors a year at the pier, coming to fish, socialize and watch wildlife. Next summer they will walk out on a deck three feet higher, buy food from a cart at the mid-pavilion, and pass a Beach Patrol substation. Some of the old pilings will be 40 feet down off Gordon Pass.
If you own near the 12th Avenue South beach end, or are thinking about how the pier's return could affect a home in Old Naples, Haven Group follows the rebuild closely and can walk you through it in a private consultation.
