Barge damages Anna Maria Island City Pier

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Two years, to the date,  the Anna Maria Island City Pier has once again been damaged. 

"The tide and the wind caught up with the tug and it forced the tug and the barge into our pier," said Mayor Dan Murphy. 

New construction was underway after damage from Hurricane Irma made the former pier near impossible to fix. 

Now that's on hold while the barge damage is fixed.

Mayor Dan Murphy says the contractor was moving a barge with a tug boat when it rammed into a section of the pier. 

"We are bringing divers in on Friday. The divers will be here to survey and give us an assessment to the full extent. We hope to get the pier on track as quickly as possible," said Mayor Murphy. 

The mayor hopes to find out the extent of the damage after the divers survey the site. 

"We can then determine how many piles were damaged as a result of the barge and we’ll replace them accordingly, along with the stringers and beans and conduits that were damaged as well," he said. 

The mayor said the contractor will be responsible for repairing the damage. He's optimistic the pier will still be ready for it's opening by December or January. 

"The jury is still out. We will find out once we get that dive report," said Mayor Murphy.