The Sunshine Skyway Fishing Pier has provided area anglers with an affordable way to fish over open water since 1994. Photo: Florida State Parks.
One of Tampa Bay’s most unique angling hot spots, billed as the world’s longest fishing pier, is getting a new lease on life.
Gov. Ron DeSantis announced on Thursday that the state is rebuilding and upgrading the roughly 4.1-mile Sunshine Skyway Fishing Pier, which was substantially damaged during Hurricane Milton in October 2024. The state will construct a new pier adjacent to the existing section in Manatee County and enhance and extend the current structure in Pinellas County.
The Sunshine Skyway Fishing Pier’s two separate spans have provided area anglers with an affordable way to fish over open water since 1994. However, the state shuttered a significant chunk of the aging facility in October 2025 after Florida Department of Transportation inspections revealed structural damage.
“This has been a major place for a lot of people – a major, iconic fishing spot,” DeSantis said. “And while fishing is a major draw at the pier, it’s also a popular recreational spot for photography, kiteboarding, kayaking, and just enjoying the sights and sounds of Florida’s beautiful Gulf Coast.”
A rendering of the new pier span on the Manatee County side of Tampa Bay. Image: State of Florida.
The pier represents the last remnants of the original Sunshine Skyway Bridge, which opened in 1954. In 1980, a cargo ship caught in a freak storm collided with what was once an engineering marvel, causing a massive collapse that killed 35 people.
A new, exponentially taller bridge between Pinellas and Manatee County opened in 1987. The state converted two separate spans of the previous structure into a fishing pier and state park seven years later.
Both pier spans are open year-round and allow visitors to park next to their fishing spots. However, the state park’s website notes that “vehicle and pedestrian access beyond the bait shop is no longer allowed.”
That will soon change. “Work has begun with efforts to enhance the parking area and construct new, wider sidewalks along the sea wall, and expand fishing opportunities to keep recreational activities open while construction is underway,” DeSantis said.
“Later this spring, construction crews will begin demolition of unused portions of the old structure on the Pinellas side, and finalize permitting and begin demolition of the existing pier on the Manatee side.”
DeSantis said that improvements to the Pinellas pier will extend its lifespan by 20 years. The goal is to “have this project completed expeditiously so people can once again enjoy this great recreational attraction.”
A state announcement also notes that “temporary fishing piers are being built in an accelerated manner to help increase fishing opportunity areas and offset fishing opportunities that will be uninterrupted during construction.”
DeSantis announced the pier projects from a press conference in Bradenton, where he also signed a bill that blocks the construction of a cruise ship terminal in Manatee County. According to the state, Senate Bill 302 “protects the Terra Ceia Aquatic Preserve by prohibiting the dredging or filling of submerged lands,” while allowing “passive recreational fishing and boating rather than commercial transportation in these sensitive waters.”
The legislation also “strengthens Florida’s coastal resiliency by expanding the use of nature-based solutions” to rehabilitate wetlands, oyster reefs, and mangrove forests. SB 302 “streamlines permitting, accelerates restoration timelines, and enables the use of new technologies to enhance coastal protection efforts.”
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