- December 9, 2025
Flagler Beach’s pier reconstruction project could be moving forward with demolition to the existing pier in January.
In an email sent from from England-Thims & Miller engineer Maksim Milovidov to Flagler Beach City Manager Dale Martin on Dec. 5, Milovidov wrote the “work schedule is a little fluid,” due to the recent and upcoming holidays, but “we’re anticipating demolition of [the] existing pier to start next month." Disassembly of the existing pier will start from the A-frame and deck and work out to the end of the pier, according to city documents.
Milovidov wrote the contractors Vecellio & Grogan were working on unit 10 of 16 on the trestle, which runs parallel to the pier, and completed a side-platform used for storage.
Though the project is moving forward, it has also seen a 40-day delay and $144,000 cost increase from a combination of sea turtle nests, inclement weather and other hurdles, according to Flagler Beach City Commission documents.
The project, which began in June, is now estimated to be “substantially completed” by Jan. 15, 2027 and fully completed by Feb. 14, 2027. Flagler Beach city staff will present a contract adjustment resolution to the Flagler Beach City Commission at its Dec. 11 meeting.
According to city documents, the new project costs will be $14.325 million, up from the original amount of $14.142 million. This is the second adjustment for the pier construction contract.
One active turtle nest located within the trestle’s footprint on July 27 cost the city $94,784 and 36 days of work as trestle installation had to be completely stalled until the nest hatched or the project could go around it in a 20-foot berth, according to the city documents. The other four days of delay were incurred from October’s inclement weather and the remaining $50,000 in additional costs from permit restrictions, insurance adjustments and almost $11,000 from a struck city-owned power line in July.
According to the city documents, the powerline was unmarked in utility documents. The contractors were driving an H-Pile into the sand on July 23 when an employee at the 98.7 Surf Radio station alerted the team that the station had lost power.
Florida Power & Light was able to de-energize the line, and the next day came back and separated the unmarked line out to return power to the other surrounding powerlines.
The contractor states in a letter of intent notice to Flagler Beach that as "the issue is not the fault of V&G, V&G shall not be responsible for any claims from the City or the nearby businesses, directly resulting from the line being hit, including the ensuing emergency response and the loss of power on July 23, 2025."
