Clearwater Mayor Bruce Rector held up Pier 60 as proof that waterfront piers serve far more than anglers. Rector weighed in at an Aug. 19 Pinellas County Tourist Development Council meeting where a member pitched rebuilding piers the county has lost.

Rector called the St. Pete Pier and Pier 60 "two of the most iconic photographed places in the entire county."

The discussion started when Capt. Dylan Hubbard, a TDC member and operator of Hubbard's Marina in Madeira Beach, suggested the county explore restoring fishing piers that storms and neglect have wiped out. He named the Redington Long Pier, demolished by the state in 2020 after years of deterioration, and the former Indian Rocks Beach fishing pier, destroyed by Hurricane Elena in 1985.

Hubbard suggested tourist development tax revenue as one way to pay for replacements. He also raised the possibility of private operators charging anglers to fish from licensed portions of a rebuilt pier, pointing to Pier 60 and the Skyway fishing piers as places where fishing access already generates revenue.

No vote was taken. No locations have been selected, and no funding request is headed to the Board of County Commissioners.

Visit St. Pete-Clearwater staff told the St. Pete Catalyst that Hubbard's comments were speculative rather than an official proposal. Hubbard told the Catalyst he wants to start the conversation and see whether a feasibility study makes sense.

Pier 60 major tourism revenue generator

The idea surfaced as Pinellas tourism tax collections are running well ahead of the prior fiscal year. The county collected about $8.6 million in tourist development taxes in June, nearly 15% more than the same month a year earlier, according to Catalyst reporting. Gross collections through June totaled nearly $79.8 million, on pace to surpass the previous annual record.

County commissioners expanded how those tax dollars can be spent earlier this year, allowing improvements at publicly owned beach park facilities that qualify as tourist attractions, according to Tampa Bay Business & Wealth. Sand Key Park and Fort De Soto Park were cited as early examples. Whether a fishing pier would qualify has not been determined.

Safety Harbor offers a recent example of pier rebuilding costs. The city reopened its rebuilt pier Aug. 27 after it was destroyed during the 2024 hurricane season. The pier itself cost less than $1.26 million, while broader pier and marina repairs totaled just over $3 million, according to recent reporting.

"There was never a question of whether we would rebuild it," Safety Harbor Mayor Joe Ayoub said. "It was just, how fast can we get it rebuilt?"

Ayoub described the pier as a gathering place where dog walkers, joggers and a regular group of sunrise photographers met each morning along the Tampa Bay waterfront.

Commissioner Chris Latvala raised another wrinkle at the Aug. 19 meeting. He said state lawmakers could give counties more flexibility over tourist development tax spending if voters approve Amendment 3, a proposed property-tax overhaul.

The TDC has not scheduled a follow-up discussion on pier rebuilding.