St. Pete Pier earns international award, adds $125M to local economy annually

St. Pete Pier getting global recognition

Kailey Tracy reports

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - The second iteration of the St. Pete Pier had long been in the works when it opened in the summer of 2020. Its original grand opening date – May 30, 2020 – was delayed by a global pandemic.

Its rescheduled grand opening, in July, was subdued as fears over COVID-19 continued across the country.

Despite its beginning, the pier has turned out to be a huge success. Now, the tourist attraction has been recognized on the global stage.

Piers through the years

An exhibit in St. Pete shows the history of the city’s iconic pier.

MORE: Museum’s ‘Piers through the Years’ exhibit gives historic look at St. Pete's iconic structure

The Urban Land Institute picked the pier as one of six worldwide winners for its 2022 Global Awards for Excellence.

"We really think of it as the front porch, the doorstep to the city," St. Pete's managing director, and the pier's project manager, Chris Ballestra said. "Having the highest level of Urban Land Institute Global Award puts us on a different level in many respects. It’s an elite group that I’m very thankful that the city of St. Pete has won this honor."

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The pier was one of 152 projects considered for the honor. It’s one of two winners in the U.S.

It was a 14-year project, Ballestra said, that cost $93 million to build.

"We’ve been very focused, since day-one, on public engagement. Without the right amount and shepherding of public engagement along that process, we wouldn’t have wound up where we are today," Ballestra said.

Tony Jannus sculpture at Pier commemorates famous flight

A new monument was installed at the St. Pete Pier to honor the world's first commercial flight.

ON THE PIER: St. Pete monument honors world's first commercial flight, which took place in the Sunshine City

Ballestra credited the community, the city and "top shelf designers and contractors" for helping build a "world-class" project.

"What sets the pier apart is, it was really designed by the people, for the people, and so, the people are responding," he said.

According to the city’s Economic and Fiscal Impact Assessment Update for the St. Pete Pier, 2.3 million people visited the pier from May 2021 to the end of April 2022. That number could rise after the pier’s most recent award put it on the global stage.

"St. Pete is a destination. This is a destination within the destination," Ballestra said.

Netting becomes art at St. Pete pier

The sculpture is clear, sturdy, and light, yet, it’s also none of those things. The featured artwork at the St. Pete Pier is open to interpretation, at the insistence of the creator.

PIER SCULPTURE: Artist behind St. Pete pier's 'Bending Arc' invites you to 'lie down in the grass and look up'

The economic update said about 40% of the pier’s visitors traveled 100 miles or more to get there. On average, they spent about 70 minutes at the pier.

"Depending on what you’re looking for, you can find it in this 26-acre little wonderland within the city," Ballestra said.

FROM 2015: St. Pete Pier comes down piece by piece

Ballestra said before the pier opened in 2020, the city estimated it would contribute about $80 million to Pinellas County's economy. They were wrong.

"The annual economic impact annually from the St. Petersburg Pier is $125 million a year," Ballestra said.

The economic update added the pier employs close to 550 people, and its ongoing economic impacts affect businesses, restaurants, hotels and shops in the area, specifically in downtown St. Pete.