Naples Pier to close as it undergoes multimillion dollar renovation

NAPLES, Fla.- The Naples Pier will soon shut down to undergo a multimillion dollar renovation.

The city just approved nearly $150,000 to upgrade the bathrooms.

“I swear everytime I go to the bathroom here, I have to wait at least 5 or 10 minutes to get in the restroom, it’s bad,” said Briana Roman.

Roman says she’s been coming to the Naples beach her whole life. But the 19-year-old thinks the pier definitely needs some fixing.

“They need to have more food, bigger restrooms and bigger places because there’s a lot of people that come down here,” said Roman.

In fact, more than one million people visit the pier each year.

“One of the complaints that we often hear, especially during the season, is that there is just not enough restroom capacity,” said David Lykins, community services director.

To fix that problem, Lykins says they are going to double the size of the restrooms. After the renovations are complete, the women’s bathroom will have seven toilets instead of the three it has now.

The men’s restroom will also expand and there will be a family changing room.

“When it’s all said and done, you’re gonna virtually have a brand new facility,” said Lykins.

In addition to the restrooms, about $1.5 million will be spent on fixing the deck, railings and plumbing.

The pier renovation will begin on July 6. The project is expected to be complete by the end of October.