City Council Approves $15 Million Proposal For St. Pete Pier

ST PETERSBURG, FL -- The new St. Pete Pier moved one step closer to reality on Thursday, April 19, with several approvals by the St. Petersburg City Council.

Among them, the council accepted Skanska USA Building Inc.'s proposal to construct the new pier for a maximum cost of $15.03 million. The city will fund the bulk of the Pier's construction with tax increment financing.

Additionally, the council accepted a lease agreement with Doc Ford's Rum Bar & Grille, which will be located at the south end of the Pier Approach. Doc Ford's is a restaurant founded by fishing guide turned mystery novelist Randy Wayne White. White currently has restaurants on Sanibel and Captiva islands and in Fort Meyers. The St. Pete Pier restaurant will be his fourth.

The restaurants are named for the main character in White's 24 best-selling mystery books about a marine biologist and ex-CIA agent who lives and works on Florida's west coast (see related story). The St. Pete restaurant, specializing in Florida seafood dishes, will have 8,000 to 9,000 square feet of indoor dining space and 1,500 to 2,000 square feet of outdoor dining space.

"I am thrilled to officially welcome the Doc Ford's Rum Bar & Grille to our St. Pete Pier and the ownership group to our St. Pete family," said St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman.

The council also accepted an agreement between the city and Earthscape Play Inc. to design, fabricate and oversee the installation of children's playground equipment at the pier; issued a resolution recognizing a $250,000 donation from the American Academy of Dermatology for a sun shade structure in the Spa Beach area; and approved an agreement between the city and Sports and Properties Inc. to provide consulting services related to naming rights for elements within the new Pier.

Kriseman said he's pleased to see the council moving forward with the project.

"This is exciting," he said. "My thanks to the city council for their diligence and for voting to continue the progress at the pier."

Construction of the 26-acre pier project began last summer. The new pier will be divided into three sections: the Pier Head, Pier Plaza and Pelican Lot.

Doc Ford's will anchor the Pelican Lot section. The Pier Head will feature a 6,920-square-foot main restaurant, 5,388 square feet of roof deck restaurant seating, a 792-square-foot patio-level café and 2,853 square feet of outdoor seating. And Pier Plaza will have a 740-square-foot pavilion café and a 2,130-square-foot covered area.

When completed, The Pier District will include a pedestrian tram, fishing deck and bait shop, playground and enhanced splash pad, lawn bowling, courtesy boat slips, pedestrian stroll, education center and event plaza. An estimated 1.7 million annual visitors are expected to visit the venue.

Residents can follow the progress of the St. Pete Pier on the Pier website.

Image via city of St. Petersburg