The city of Anna Maria aims to rebuild a public pier destroyed during hurricanes Helene and Milton, but city officials are seeking commitments from Mote Marine, Manatee County and area state officials to recreate what was lost during the storms.
The Anna Maria City Pier was home to Mote’s Marine Science Education & Outreach Center, which operated on one side of the building since May 2023, and an independent City Pier Grill, which operated on the other.
Manatee County capitalized on the pier’s convenient location and its desire for the Gulf Islands Ferry Service to create a drop-off point for residents and tourists who wanted to travel from Bradenton to Anna Maria via ferry. The drop-off location showcased the education center and had convenient access to Anna Maria waterfronts and nearby shopping and dining, but the route was knocked out by the hurricanes along with the pier.
The city wants to rebuild, but needs financial support and the return of willing third parties to make the project possible and worthwhile.
Manatee County Chairman George Kruse said the county is a likely funding partner, but that additional sources would still be needed. He added that the presence of Mote Marine was a valuable component to the overall vision for the pier, and asked that deeper conversations be held with the organization to seek its return to the education center.
“That created this pier from being a pier someone could fish off of or you could drop a boat on to being a true tourist destination and resident destination,” Kruse said.
“I would wait for the ferry to come,” Kruse said. “We would just hang out in Mote, it was air conditioned, it’s pretty, it’s fun to look at with the kids, and you go. If that just becomes a vacant building, that obviously takes away some of the dynamics” of what that pier was becoming before the storms.
Manatee County meets with Anna Maria officials about pier rebuild
On June 18, city officials met with Manatee County commissioners to formally begin discussions during a public meeting.
To date, the city has spent $223,000 for the inspection, design and engineering of the walkway. The demolition process will begin by the end of June to clear the path for reconstruction, but the city expects costs to climb as high $1.1 million over the next three months, Anna Maria Mayor Mark Short said.
“Most of the damage to the pier happened with the walkway,” Short said. “The walkway had been built differently than the ‘T’ end of the pier when it was rebuilt eight, nine, 10 years ago. Currently our engineers estimate that its going to cost $7 to $9 million.
“At this point the funding is not confirmed with the exception of $2 million that the (Tourism Development Council advisory board) approved on Monday, which I know needs to go to the County (Commission) for your approval,” he said.
Short also credited local state legislators who secured $1.25 million in funding for the project through the state budget process, but he is still keeping an eye on the potential for a veto by the governor before counting on any funds.
“We’ll know on July 1 if that clears the state budget and the line item veto process,” he said, referring to the deadline for Gov. Ron DeSantis to sign the budget bill.
Talk about Anna Maria City Pier rebuild heats up
Short said Mote Marine representatives visited the site two weeks ago, and that follow-up conversations with the organization are planned. However, he also said there is no telling how much funding, if any, FEMA would provide for pier recovery nor how long it would take for any expenses to be reimbursed.
Kruse proposed deeper communication between county and city budgeting officials to better understand how much the county could potentially contribute. He emphasized the importance of the education center to the bigger vision for the tourism development project, being careful to preserve the character of the project and not to create just another cog in the local public transit system.
“I don’t want a queuing area, just an empty room you sit in like a port authority,” Kruse said. “I want Mote back. I would hope if they won’t do it that the state or federal level would contribute to it. Mote does pretty good with getting funds and I think that was an important amenity for the city of Anna Maria and Manatee County as a whole, and for Mote for that matter.”
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Manatee County pushes for the return of Mote Marine to Anna Maria City Pier for rebuild
Reporting by Jesse Mendoza, Sarasota Herald-Tribune / Sarasota Herald-Tribune
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