The future of the Anna Maria City Pier’s T-end has yet to be determined.
The city commission hosted a March 5 workshop to discuss the T-end, specifically whether the building should be retained or opened up.
The pier closed in 2024, after hurricanes Helene and Milton destroyed its walkway and left the T-end inaccessible.
The city hired Gibsonton-based Tampa Bay Marine to demolish what remained of the walkway and rebuild it stronger, with materials like solid concrete pilings.
Work on the walkway is projected for completion by June 30, according to Mayor Mark Short, who opened the workshop with a presentation.
But the rebuild will not stop there. Additional work is needed to get the pier in operational shape.
The city must repair the T-end platform, remediate its two buildings and replace the bathrooms.
The city also plans to address landside infrastructure at the pier by repairing the boardwalk, hooking up utilities and more.
Short said the city will issue requests for proposals for the work on both the T-end and landside.
The project is expected to cost $7.1-7.8 million, much of which will be covered by outside sources like the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency.
In the meantime, the city is trying to figure out what to do with the T-end with Mote Marine Laboratory gone.
The municipality hosted a workshop in January to discuss potential uses. Multiple public commenters called for the city to bring back a full-service restaurant to the pier, but no decisions were made.
The March 5 workshop was focused on collecting feedback about whether the T-end building that used to house Mote’s Marine Science Education and Outreach Center should remain enclosed or be opened up.
Short said retaining the shell would provide a space for a restaurant that could seat around 50 people.
On the other hand, Short said, the city could open up the building shell by replacing the windows with sliding doors, which could open up enough space for 96 or more seats.
He said the open shell may better serve a water ferry at the pier, since it would provide more seating.
“This would reinforce the openness of people to go out there and not feel obligated that they have to buy something to be out there,” Short said.
He added that opening the shell would likely cost more than retaining the existing closed shell.
Both options may impact the timeframe to open the pier, according to Short.
Short said he believed it would be “wise” for the city to solicit bids for opening the shell, since that setup would provide more flexibility and seating.
“It still gives us the flexibility to have a restaurant. It gives us the flexibility to open it up. It gives the flexibility to have maybe an ancillary kind of small footprint-type operation in there. It gives us more room for people to roam,” he said.
Commissioner Gary McMullen agreed. He called the decision to open the shell a “no-brainer.”
Commissioner Kathleen Morgan-Johnson said she would like to determine the T-end use before deciding whether to open the shell.
Commissioner John Lynch was absent with excuse.
Resident Ray Hyer expressed support for a sit-down restaurant on the T-end. He said he would leave the shell as is and allow a future tenant to remodel the space to best accommodate that business.
“I’ve remodeled 13 houses in my life. It sounds easy to replace a window here or a slider there, but it always is more complicated and more expensive,” Hyer said.
Brian Seymour, co-owner of the City Pier Grill & Bait Shop, said the space would be more valuable from an operator’s view as a single-use.
“If we’re limited to only a portion of the building and none of the seating is guaranteed, that’s less square footage technically that’s usable,” Seymour said.
Resident Barbara Ehren said she liked the idea of accommodating the ferry landing.
Short said he would review their feedback with city staff and include a discussion on the agenda.
The city commission will meet next at 1 p.m. Thursday, March 12, at city hall, 10005 Gulf Drive.