Hurricane Helene left the Rod & Reel Pier in Anna Maria without a walkway.
Less than two weeks later, Hurricane Milton left only the pier’s entrance sign and pilings.
Pier owner Oliver “Oli” Lemke, a German brewer and restaurateur, told The Islander Oct. 10 that he was determined to rebuild the longtime island staple.
The pier at 875 N. Shore Drive was built in 1947 and featured a two-story restaurant building on its T-end.
Lemke purchased the pier last November from fellow German businessman Mario Schoenfelder.
Less than a year later, the 77-year-old pier is gone.
“It’s unbelievable. … There’s nothing left,” Lemke said. “It’s all gone.”
Lemke, who was resolved to repair the destroyed walkway following Helene, was not disheartened after Milton wrecked what remained with 100-plus mph winds.
He said that much about a potential rebuild, such as a cost and timeline, would take time to determine.
Nevertheless, Lemke said the pier would be rebuilt.
“I do know … that we are going to rebuild,” he said. “In whatever way, there will be a Rod & Reel. It’s been there since 1947 and we’re not going to give up on this.”
While Lemke expressed hope that the government would provide funds to help rebuild the pier, he said he would explore other fundraising options.
One option the pier has already explored is a GoFundMe campaign to crowdfund money for the rebuild.
Lemke organized the fundraising campaign Oct. 6 with the title, “Help Us Rebuild Rod and Reel Pier, Anna Maria Island.”
The campaign had received 242 donations and raised $22,092 toward a $300,000 goal as of Oct. 13.
The GoFundMe page promises that “the names of all donors who contribute at least $100 will be engraved in our new wall of honor on the pier.”
Another fundraising option Lemke said he would explore would be sales of a beer dedicated to the destroyed pier.
The beer — which he said would be named something like the “Rod & Reel Recovery Lager” — would be produced by his brewery, Lemke Berlin, and promoted in the area.
Sales revenue would go toward rebuilding the pier.
Lemke said he hoped to rebuild the pier to be even better than it was before.
In the meantime, he said he was concerned about his pier employees who might go without work for a while.
He tossed around the idea of a food truck employees could operate until the pier was rebuilt, but stressed that process could take “months, if not longer.”
“This is not a sprint, it’s a marathon,” Lemke said.
People can donate to the Rod & Reel Pier’s GoFundMe campaign by visiting gofund.me/6c899b12.