FLAGLER BEACH, Fla. – The iconic wooden pier in Flagler Beach has taken a hit and been damaged in several storms and hurricanes over the last decade.
City commissioners voted last week to replace it.
“This original pier was constructed in 1927 as 1,000 feet long and now we’re in the 600 (foot) range,” Mayor Suzie Johnston said.
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After Hurricane Matthew in 2016 took off a 163-foot chunk of it, FEMA gave the city $10 million to replace the pier. Johnston said they had to have a plan for the money by March 2022.
“We’re filing for an extension and moving along with the project,” she said.
Commissioners voted last week to demolish the current one and replace it with a 800-foot concrete pier. Johnston said to stay in code, it will also be 13 feet higher than the current one.
“There’s only three insurance companies in the entire world that will insure a wooden pier so concrete is the way to go with the waves, how strong the ocean is and how much damage they’ve been causing on the wooden piers,” she said.
Storms caused erosion across Flagler beaches as recently as this week, according to a Wednesday news release from county officials.
It’ll change the look of the landmark at the epicenter of the town but the city will keep part of its history.
“The plan is to keep the first 100 feet of the original wooden pier, so that’s about the pier that covers all the way up to the sand,” she said.
The mayor said they hope to have this project done in the next four years.