JACKSONVILLE BEACH, Fla. — The wait is officially over.
Wednesday is the day many of you have been waiting for: the grand reopening of the Jacksonville Beach Pier.
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One of the main reasons people are so excited about the pier’s reopening is because they consider the pier to be the heart of Jax beach.
Meet Lisa Rhodes, who thinks so too. That’s why she flew in all the way from Yuma, Tennessee, for the event.
“We started coming here about 25 years ago and the pier was here then and we would walk on it, and then when they started letting us fish, we would fish and we do it twice a year,” said Rhodes.
“My favorite thing about the beach is surfing and I get to enjoy the sand and the water,” said Fletcher.
“Surfing and hanging out with my friends and coaches,” said Romie.
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The pier opened at 10 a.m. this morning, complete with an official ribbon-cutting and appearances by Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry and other city officials. Jacksonville Beach PD was also there with one rule in place: no fishing on the pier.
“I love kayak fishing, I’ve got a boat, I’ve got a boat now. Anything around the water,” said Overeem.
The pier will be open for fishing in two weeks but for now you are free to fish from the shoreline.
The pier’s newly renovated structure has an extra 8 feet of height added to protect it from storm surges and to withstand hurricanes, after having been damaged by Hurricanes Irma and Matthew.
“It was heartbreaking, we came all the way here and it was gone and then we kept waiting for it to be rebuilt,” said Rhodes.
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Besides having a fun and safe time at the pier, take note, it’s open every day from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
“I love going to the beach, especially the pier,” said Overeem.
The pier has been closed to residents since 2019, but as you can see there are no bad feelings at Jax beach. Please note that the pier’s bathrooms are not open at this time. Jax Beach PD says the closest bathrooms will be near public parking on 5th Avenue.
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