FLAGLER

Flagler Beach fishing pier reopens

Matt Bruce
matt.bruce@news-jrnl.com
The Flagler Beach Pier reopened to the public at 9 a.m. Friday.

FLAGLER BEACH — One of the final coronavirus closures was lifted in Flagler Beach on Friday morning as city officials reopened the Flagler Beach Pier.

The iconic fishing pier, its accompanying Bait Shop and picnic tables on the boardwalk along State Road A1A were reopened to the public at 9 a.m.

The pier has been shut down since March 22. About 20 people lined up outside the pier just before the gates reopened Friday morning.

It gives anglers another fishing option in the area. Sunglow Pier about 25 miles south in Daytona Beach Shores was one of the only open piers in Flagler and Volusia counties for awhile.

The Daytona Beach Pier remains shut down indefinitely for structural repairs. Meanwhile, the St. Johns County Ocean and Fishing Pier in St. Augustine Beach reopened May 4 after four months of renovations.

Flagler Beach city manager Larry Newsom indicated he made the decision to reopen his city’s pier in conjunction with Phase 2 of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ statewide plan to re-open Florida. DeSantis announced the second step in his plan Wednesday, which will allow bars and movie theaters across most of the state to kick back into gear and gave retail shops the opportunity to return to full capacity.

“We’re slowly getting back to normal,“ Newsom said Friday morning. ”We’re not through this yet. But we’re getting through it and that’s what’s allowed us to get to this point. We hope our numbers stay low because we don’t want to have to go back.“

Matt Doughney, the city’s police chief, said officials followed guidance from the local health department when reopening city facilities.

“Our community has been patient and understanding during the COVID-19 closures and we’re glad to re-open the pier in a safe manner,” he said.

The pier has been one of the last holdouts from Flagler Beach’s COVID-19 shutdown. The public restrooms on the boardwalk at the pier’s entrance were reopened to the public during the Memorial Day weekend. The city’s boardwalk and A1A parking adjacent to the boardwalk from North Fourth Street to South Ninth Street were reopened Saturday.

But the pier itself has remained closed. One of the main reasons city officials hesitated to reopen the pier was because it is difficult fishermen to properly social distance. Hurricane Matthew ripped off about 160 feet from the end of the pier in 2016, which means the only good place for anglers to cast their reels is at the deep end of the shortened pier. Officials worried they would cram together on the narrow deck.

But Friday’s reopening comes with some conditions aimed at preventing that. According to the news release, only 50 people at a time will be allowed on the pier, which will open everyday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Social distancing is strongly recommended on the pier and no guests will be allowed in the Bait Shop, which will accept only take-out business.

“We recognize the importance of opening the Flagler Beach Pier, as well as the picnic areas on the boardwalk,” Flagler County public health director Bob Snyder said. “We support the decision to open the pier in a manner that emphasizes social distancing and other public health best practices.”