ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The St. Petersburg City Council approved spending $1.4 million on Thursday to demolish the Jungle Prada Park Pier, which was severely damaged by Hurricane Helene, but residents worry it won’t be replaced because there’s no plan in place.

What You Need To Know

The St. Petersburg City Council approved spending $1.4 million on Thursday to demolish the Jungle Prada Park Pier

The pier was severely damaged by Hurricane Helene in 2024 and has been closed for nearly 19 months

West side residents worry it won’t be replaced because there’s no plan in place 

City Council Member Copley Gerdes assures a plan will be developed to build a new pier

“At this point, we have a lot of concerns about should this pier come down, what happens with no plan to move forward on paper first?” said Juliana Fisher, Jungle Prada Neighborhood Association president. “We’re really concerned about the timeline and the potential challenges in the future.” 

Helene’s storm surge in September 2024 left many of the wooden pier planks buckled, with a few completely washed out in a section near the end. Some of the wooden pilings below, which support the structure, were also bent in the wave action from the storm.

The pier has been closed for nearly 19 months. 

Fisher said she moved to the neighborhood six years ago specifically for the western facing water access.

“This is the only over water access on the entire west side of the St. Pete city limits,” she said. “It’s heavily used not only by people that live right here in the neighborhood but all over Pinellas County.”

It’s also historic as the Jungle Prada Park has had a pier for more than 100 years, according to Fisher.

“The pier has actually been here in some iteration since 1913,” she said. “This particular structure has been here for over 50 years. It was rehabbed in 2005.”

Azalea neighborhood resident Brendan Turley said he’s also worried the city won’t rebuild a new pier with the same footprint after the planned demolition.

“I’ve been told that there’s not enough money to build it back as long as it is currently,” he said. “There’s a concern that there’s just not a plan in place to replace it with anything.”

City Council Member Copley Gerdes represents the district and wants to assure west side residents a plan will be developed to build a new pier.

“There’s a current conversation about replacing the pier. Unfortunately, because it’s such a big structure, it’s going to take some time,” he said. “There’s going to be a pier on the west side of St. Petersburg. Unequivocally. The mayor and I have talked about it.”

Gerdes said the city has filed a FEMA claim, which valued replacing the same wooden structure at more than $5 million. The city has been waiting for a determination. The city council member wants the new pier to be built with concrete, which will be strong enough to withstand the next hurricane but also cost more money.

“We don’t want to have to deal with this again,” he said. “So we’re going through those conversations now and eventually there’ll be an RFP (Request For Proposal) to go out for the new pier.”

Fisher said she knows the city’s operating on a very tight budget, which is another reason she’s concerned the city won’t build a new pier. Residents from five neighborhood associations have formally banded together and are willing to help the city raise funds for the project, according to Fisher. They want the pier to be the exact same length, which extends nearly 200 feet from the shoreline.

“At this point in time, we feel very, very strongly that anything less than a structure that we have now would be a disservice to our community,” she said. “Our biggest ask at this point in time is that the city openly communicate with us… Let us work with you to bring this back.”

Gerdes said if residents feel his office has not done a good job at communication “that’s on us” and he will make improving awareness a priority. A date for demolition has not been set yet but Gerdes expects it will happen in the next few months.