ANNA MARIA, Fla. — On September 10, a barge being repositioned by the Anna Maria Pier contractor (I+ICON) lost control because of strong currents and winds, and rammed into the pier.
The city says at least two pilings were damaged, stringers were broken and some electrical and plumbing conduits were destroyed.
"It kind of set my heart back when I got the news on September 10th which happens to be the same day that Irma came through," said Dan Murphy, Mayor of Anna Maria.
"I found it more than a coincidence that we would have significant damage to our pier on that date as well."
Hurricane Irma destroyed the 110-year-old pier two years ago.
The iconic pier and restaurant are now being rebuilt as part of a $7 million project.
"It's the center of our city. It's the cultural center. It's the entertainment center. It's everything. So we’ve really suffered a loss for the past two years," said Murphy.
The contractors will have to pay for the damage done from the barge. They don’t know yet if there will be a setback from the pier's expected completion date of December or January.
Divers will be going down into the water on Friday and seeing how much damage was actually done so they can better determine how much longer it will take to fix.
