White Castle expanding in Florida with 3 new locations <\/a><\/p>\n\u201cWe walked out there a few times. It was nice, you know, I love piers. You go out there, throw the rod fishing and everything, and I think it would be nice to see it reopen again,\u201d Monroe said.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s been closed since it was damaged from Hurricane Helene in 2024. You can see some of the damage to the pier from on land. Some ague it\u2019s past time to get it fixed.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it\u2019s a little ridiculous, honestly. But I mean, I get it. You know, money is tight and they put money everywhere else, maybe not in the right places, in my opinion. But, you know, we use this so often that we would like to see this done,\u201d Monroe said.<\/p>\n
The St. Pete City Council knows about the pier conditions. Thursday, they passed a consent agenda item approving more than $1 million for its demolition. In a post on the \u201cResidents of West St. Petersburg\u201d Facebook group, council member Copley Gerdes addressed the matter.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have spent countless hours in conversation with City Staff, the Mayor, and the Mayor\u2019s team, about what it will take to rebuild the pier. At the same time, my first responsibility has been ensuring residents were safe and able to return to their homes,\u201d Gerdes said on Facebook.<\/p>\n
Gerdes also said the council will expect a separate proposal for a new pier to be brought forward for consideration at a later date.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am with you on this. I know the importance of the Jungle Prada Pier, and I will continue pushing, consistently and persistently, for its rebuilding,\u201d Gerdes said.<\/p>\n
Jungle Prada Neighborhood Association President Juliana Fisher said she\u2019s concerned about the plan.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt this point, we don\u2019t have any commitment on what may or may not go back here. The city has suggested that due to some of the constraints, we may end up with a shorter structure. We can see here that this is a pretty standard low tide and we have you know, there\u2019s more than 50% of the pier that doesn\u2019t have water underneath it,\u201d Fisher said.<\/p>\n
She said they\u2019re looking into state environmental funds, historical structure grants, or whatever the can to bring the pier back.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe all know that government grinds very slowly. We might run into some challenges of rebuilding any structure here, if we take this down without a path forward,\u201d Fisher said.<\/p>\n
Monroe said he hopes city leaders understand and make a move.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s just sitting there is a hazard. You know, somebody walks in there, little kids, you know, teenagers are going to get hurt. Why not fix it so we can enjoy it?\u201d Monroe said.<\/p>\n
Fisher said she hopes the city will also work with the neighborhood associations to find a path forward. Right now, it\u2019s unclear when demolition will start.<\/p>\n
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