Janelle Irwin Taylor
The city of St. Petersburg is postponing its grand opening of the new pier scheduled for May 30 due to ongoing concerns about the novel coronavirus.
Speaking during a Facebook Live briefing Tuesday afternoon, Mayor Rick Kriseman said the city would announce a new date to celebrate the pier’s completion at a later date.
“Unfortunately we’re going to have to wait just a bit longer,” Kriseman said. “But not too much longer.”
Kriseman said he made the decision after Gov. Ron DeSantis said it would be some time before mass gatherings would be permissible or advisable, even though the state and local governments are moving forward with easing social distancing restrictions in some cases. DeSantis’ comments ruled out mass gatherings at least through May.
“We also don’t believe it’s a good idea to gather our community in such a celebratory way,” Kriseman said, noting the struggles so many residents are facing with both public health and safety and personal finances as the economy continues to suffer.”
“There’s just too much uncertainty,” he added. “We need our hospitals to continue to have beds and ICU capacity … we need good contact tracing and we need more testing with quick results.”
Construction progress on the pier is on schedule, according to St. Petersburg City Council member Brandi Gabbard who addressed the issue Tuesday morning before the decision was announced to delay the grand opening.
Kriseman’s announcement came just hours after Pinellas County Commissioners voted to reopen beaches Monday morning at 7 a.m. Kriseman said that would include St. Pete beaches.
Though none of the Gulf beaches are in his city, downtown St. Pete does have some beach access along Tampa Bay, particularly near the popular Northshore Park downtown as well as Lansing Park.
The Pinellas County order also allows private pools at places like condominiums and apartment complexes to open, though it is at each facility’s discretion to do so.
Kriseman also said there would be another round of testing in south St. Pete. Saturday from 8 a.m. until noon residents who qualify can obtain testing at Bartlett Park.
Individuals seeking tests should make an appointment by calling 727-568-8028.
