- March 12, 2025
The Flagler Beach Pier reopened Tuesday, but it lost two pilings when Hurricane Sandy swept by, so its use for the next several months will be restricted, according City Mananger Bruce Campbell.
The pier was closed Friday as a safety precaution in preparation for the storm. Now, reopened sans pilings, it can only hold 400 people at a time and no vehicles will be permitted on it, Campbell said.
The city plans to repair the damage during a maintenance project planned for February, during which 190 pilings will be treated by reinforcing them by surrounding them with concrete and epoxy and wrapping them in a fiberglass seal. This will make the pier less susceptible to ocean damage, Campbell said.
The project will be funded largely by a $908,000 grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
“The big cost and the big time commitment for making repairs is deploying equipment,” Campbell said. “It takes a lot to get cranes out there, and we have to take apart parts of the pier to make any repairs.”
Because of that, it’s more cost-effective for the city to wait until February rather than getting equipment to the pier twice within six months. Until then, the pier is operable and shouldn’t incur more damage from the lost pilings, Campbell said.
“The immediate challenge is we have the Tommy Tant (Memorial Surf) Classic coming up,” Campbell said. “It’s unfortunate timing.”
Historically, approximately 12,000 spectators piled onto the Flagler Beach Pier to watch in the series’ night surfing competition.
But at this year's classic, which will be held Nov. 17, the city will compensate for reduced pier access by putting more bleachers on the beach and less on the pier. Campbell said he’s already spoken with the organizers of the event to work out the details.
Flagler Beach also experienced loss of sand during the storm. This caused the stairs from some dune walkovers to become exposed.
“When the sand is removed by the base of the (walkovers), they get beaten more easily by waves,” Campbell said. “Two of our 52 walkovers are closed right now.”
Campbell said the city hopes to repair and reopen the walkovers within a couple of weeks.
“Overall, we were lucky,” he said.
