Gulfport's Williams Pier to be Replaced

For the past 30 years, the Walter & Bert Williams Fishing Pier has become a spot where memories are made in Gulfport.

The Fourth of July fireworks are blasted off from the end of the pier every summer, and the annual Holiday Lights Boat Parade includes a mandatory swing by the pier for onlookers. 

Anglers of all ages catch their meals off the pier daily, and winged friends perch along the rails from dusk 'til dawn.

While the pier is holding up now, Gulfport City Manager Jim O'Reilly says it only has 10 to 20 years left, and council needs to start setting money aside now.

"It's a concrete pier in salt water," O'Reilly said during the last city council workshop on Thursday, May 9.

O'Reilly is allocating $10,000 of the city's Penny for Pinellas dollars in next year's budget for a Williams Pier replacement down the road. He added that he'll be asking for money next year. That way, when the pier reaches its lifespan, they'll have the money to replace it, he said.

The budget is included in the five-year-capitol improvement program. It is estimated that the city will receive $1,000,000 from Penny for Pinellas monies next fiscal year. 

To view all of the proposed projects, view the City Council Workshop Agenda from Thursday online.

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