ANNA MARIA – Mayor of Anna Maria, Dan Murphy says ‘Everything is ready to go’
“We are having a soft opening tomorrow it’s a little bit different than a grand opening when we have the grand opening, that’ll be sometime in the future, we’ll cut the ribbon and thank everybody for their contributions,” said Mayor of Anna Maria, Dan Murphy.
In the meantime, the soft opening will help them see how the pier will operate with people
“How it’s going to work, make adjustments if we need to, and tweak things as they might be,” said Murphy.
The rebuilt pier, destroyed by Hurricane Irma in 2017, will have no food, beverage, or bait and tackle service yet. And although no alcoholic beverages are allowed, visitors are allowed to bring a cooler.
“We made masks optional for the time being, but if you come we would like you to practice social distancing,” said Murphy.
It has been a long haul but The Mayor is very pleased with the outcome
“And I think the residents of Manatee County and the city of Anna Maria are going to be really proud of this pier, it’s a beautiful, beautiful product,” said Murphy.
President of Anna Maria Island Chamber of commerce, Terri Kinder says the island is made up of a large percentage of businesses that rely directly on tourism, and amid the pandemic, local businesses were struggling
“Now that they’ve opened some things up, and they’re allowing more things to occur we’re seeing people come back and with the pier opening now, as people can come back on the island, it’s just good timing for everyone,” said President of Anna Maria Island Chamber of Commerce, Terri Kinder.
Pier hours are from 8 AM to 5 PM every Friday through Sunday until further notice.
Mayor and City Commissioners are planning to gather at the pier at 8 AM tomorrow to greet guests when the pier opens.
