Panama City Beach Piers

Panama City Beach Piers

Date: 7/7/2008 Pier into the future By JEREMY MORRISON, Florida Freedom Newspapers 2008-07-07 15:11:00 PANAMA CITY BEACH - The old pier's gone, with a new one to come. In between, waves wash and county officials await permits from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. Bay County's M.B. Miller Pier was demolished earlier this year. The 470-foot-long structure, damaged in 2005 by Hurricane Dennis, will be replaced with a pier more than three times that length. But before construction may begin, the county must obtain DEP permits, which is expected to happen by November. "If they need the full 90 days, they'll take it," Assistant County Manger Bob Majka said of the state's permitting process. "If they get done earlier than that, we could see something earlier." The county is awaiting a joint coastal permit, which allows the pier to extend farther into the gulf. Also, a submerged land lease for the additional 1,000 feet must be obtained from the state. "We've got to have the physical footprint in the water," Majka said. Even if permits are issued earlier than expected, Majka said construction of a new pier will not begin until January. The same construction company, Shoreline Foundation Inc., is building the new Panama City Beach pier a few miles down the sand. That project, already in progress, dictates the start of the county's construction. The Panama City Beach Public Work's Department cites the tentative completion date for the city's pier as July 2009. Majka said the county's construction should be well under way by next summer. "We would want to have the upland portion done no later than June because of turtle season," he said. "At that point, we'll be in the water." Majka said the county's target finish is January 2010. The two piers, built with the same designs, will mirror each other. County and beach officials got a deal on the pair. "We saved a bunch of money by the city and the county bidding them out together," Bay County Commissioner Mike Thomas said in April. The two-for-one project was put out to bid last August. Shoreline was the lowest bidder, promising both structures for about $7.6 million each. Because of the hurricane damage, the Federal Emergency Management Agency is covering the dollar equivalent of the old 470-foot pier, or $1.7 million. The county also is applying for an additional $2.1 million from the federal government in recognition of the pier being built in a more hurricane-durable manner. The new structure will feature breakaway decking. Fishing also should be better 1,500 feet out into the water. Stretching beyond the second sandbar, it should provide access to king mackerel, bonito and redfish. The twin piers will be the longest along Florida's Panhandle. Pensacola Beach's pier, the basis for these structures, is 1,471 feet. In Alabama, the pier gracing Orange Beach edges a bit farther into the gulf at 1,510 feet.