The iconic John’s Pass Boardwalk needs repairs. Of the 192 pilings that prop up its planks, nearly half require structural “jackets” — specialized, heavy-duty protective sleeves or wraps installed around the underwater and splash-zone sections of marine posts (pilings), which can be made of polyvinyl chloride, concrete and steel or fiberglass — though they pose no imminent threat, with the deterioration attributed to standard wear and tear.
To help assuage the more than $1 million price tag to complete all needed repairs, Madeira Beach submitted a grant application last week, according to Public Works Director Megan Wepfer, who added that the city “does not anticipate hearing anything from Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) until December.”
The grant request was for $200,000 — less than 20% of the total funds needed — and would require the city to match that amount.
Despite waiting on FDEP’s answer, the city isn’t sitting on its hands but has been “actively working and doing annual structural jackets to the boardwalk in a phased approach.”
According to Wepfer, the grant money would expedite the arduous and slow pace of repairs. At the moment, each jacket costs approximately $5,000, and the city can only spare enough from the budget to repair six to eight pilings annually. Madeira Beach just completed its fiscal year 2027 budget.
Built in the 1970s, the boardwalk has weathered decades of saltwater exposure, along with the wrath of Hurricane Helene in 2024, when storm surge shifted portions of the decking and floating debris damaged some pilings.
Some 30 to 35 pilings remain without protective jackets, while another 55 have aging jackets installed in the early 2000s. Those older jackets sit too low, allowing saltwater to reach the wood.
Barnacles have also become an unwelcome guest, burrowing into exposed wood and gradually narrowing the pilings.
The boardwalk that guests enjoy above remains in satisfactory condition, but below deck is where “satisfactory” slides into just “fair,” according to the city’s annual condition report.
Earlier this month, Wepfer held a boardwalk resiliency town hall, highlighting deteriorating pilings, inadequate jackets and barnacle buildup. New structural jackets extend below the mudline and above the high-tide line to better protect the supports.
This content provided in partnership with stpetecatalyst.com.