Construction to Begin on Secrets of the Sea Aquarium

Aquarium officials announced Tuesday that construction would begin on the Secrets of the Sea Aquarium (formally the pier aquarium), which will be located at Gulf Boulevard and 129th Avenue in John's Pass.

Madeira Beach and John's Pass will have a new anchor tenant in November when the Secrets of the Sea Marine Exploration Center and Aquarium opens at Gulf Boulevard and 129th Avenue in John's Pass.  After being located in the St. Petersburg Pier since 1988, the aquarium decided in 2011 that Madeira Beach would be its next home.  The new $4 million facility will house interactive exhibits, tanks and state of the art technology in the two-story, 13,500-square-foot building.  One of the main attractions that will be on display at the aquarium is possible due to a partnership the aquarium has with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The two have partnered to create the "Science on a Sphere." "This dramatic 6' diameter globe …

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Vote for Your Favorite Pier Photo!

We asked readers to share their favorite photo memories of The Pier. Boy, they did! Here are 108 photos. Here's how to vote for your favorite one.

Vote in 'The Pier Memories' Photo Contest!

We asked readers to share their favorite photo memories of The Pier. Boy, they did! Here are 108 photos. Here's how to vote for your favorite one.

City Defends 'Lens' Building Materials, Critics Skeptical

The St. Petersburg Pier is slated to close May 31. The next phase of "Lens" funding is up for approval on May 2.

Members of city staff staunchly defended the proposed "Lens" pier building materials and where the city is in the design process for the new pier during a workshop Thursday afternoon. The workshop was in response to questions brought about by Concerned Citizens for St. Petersburg, also known as Stop the Lens, and other city residents about the feasibility and longevity of the "Lens" building materials.  Stop the Lens members argued that the materials proposed to build the "Lens" have not been tested over saltwater conditions and the city is assuming a huge security and financial risk by moving forward with the "Lens" design.  "We are not against new designs," Bud Riser with Stop the Lens said. "...New things come with risk." Concerned …

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Newton's Motion Denied, Pier Still Set to Close May 31

Council member Wengay Newton's motion to delay closing the pier died for lack of a second, which means the St. Petersburg Pier is still set to close May 31.

The St. Petersburg Pier is still set to close May 31.  For more than four hours Thursday, residents, business owners and members of Stop the Lens waited to hear what would come out of a discussion about delaying the closure of the St. Petersburg Pier until after the August election. That discussion on council member Wengay Newton’s new business item, however, never happened. Newton motioned to delay closing the pier, but his motion died for lack of a second from another council member. Because there was no second, there could be no discussion, and the schedule to close the pier May 31 remains unchanged. With 800 jobs lost at Universal Healthcare recently, Newton said it would not be prudent of the city to close the pier and lose around …

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Pier's Biggest Champ Is Moving On

Susan Robertson, the Pier's marketing director, will leave her post after 11 years on the job greeting nearly 1 million visitors a year.

Susan Robertson is a mega-event planner. With close to 1 million people visiting the St. Petersburg Pier annually, she juggles events featuring jugglers, musicians, face painters, storytellers and an assortment of other free entertainment. That's just a small part of her job promoting and marketing the public venue. Robertson also purchases and places all media, updates and maintains the website, Facebook and Twitter accounts, as well as supervises the Concierge Center at The Pier. But all that is about to end. On May 31, the Pier is scheduled to host its final day and night of activities. When the clock strikes midnight, the city Pier will close, as city leaders push for demolition. Some at City Hall want The Pier to stay open longer, but…

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'Lens' Pier Political Action Committee Forms

WowStPete, headed by TV pitchman Anthony Sullivan, is a new political action committee formed in preparation for a public referendum.

In anticipation for a to-be-determined public vote on the new design for the St. Petersburg Pier, called the "Lens", a pro-"Lens" political action committee has formed.  In the fall of 2012, TV pitchman Anthony Sullivan founded Wow Our Waterfront St. Pete because he felt the "Lens" was only getting negative publicity from groups such at VoteOnthePier and Stop the Lens.  Thursday, Sullivan announced the creation of the PAC called WowStPete. "When I started Wow St. Pete it was one man," Sullivan told Patch. "I believe it may end up going on a ballot, and it’s going to give us the freedom to move and the freedom to fight the opposition. And we’re going to win." The "opposition" are two groups called Stop the Lens and VoteOnthePier. …

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Michelle Crash

3:45 pm on Thursday, May 2, 2013

Last I heard the amphitheater functionality had been nixed from the original design, as well as the aquarium feature, etc. They only recently made plans to provide the foundation (not the build out, mind you, just the foundation) for just one restaurant, and as far as I understand no plans for shops. That's the lens, a whole lot of nothing.   more ›