Complete renovation of west Beach Marina in Clearwater overcomes challenges to stay on schedule
New plans to remodel the Clearwater, Fla., Beach Marina began in 2021, with the city looking for a design for the new beach. Having been built in the 1950s, the marina was simply getting old and had not yet had a full renovation completed. The total remodel of the marina will be completed in two phases, though the first phase has since been split up due to hurricane damage. However, so far, the project remains on schedule, with the west end of the marina being torn out and rebuilding beginning to take place. The entire project is expected to be completed by August 2026.
A request for qualifications was released in June 2021 for companies wishing to submit designs for the marina replacement. A committee interviewed four of the eight companies that submitted a design. This committee comprised five city representatives from marine and aviation, engineering, and building and maintenance departments. Moffat and Nichol was selected for the job. Following the company’s selection and the start of the design phase, the city issued another request for qualifications for a construction manager at risk in April 2022. Another committee was formed with five city representatives from the marine and aviation and engineering departments to interview the three companies that applied. J. Kokolakis Contracting was unanimously selected for the construction work.
The city has used a variety of funding sources in order to move forward with the project. Aaron Braley, Clearwater Marine and Aviation Department Division Controller, explained, “The city has looked to many avenues for obtaining the funding for this project. We have funding from a Tourism Development Council grant, Penny for Pinellas, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission sport fish restoration grant, and budgeted capital improvement plan from the marine and aviation department of the city. Additionally, we’ve applied for grant funding from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.”
Because of damages to the dock during hurricanes in September and October 2024, phase one of the project was broken up into two parts. These hurricanes, especially Hurricane Helene, destroyed the docks on the east end with flooding and waves, which included the fuel dock.
“The plan was originally to move our commercial tenants affected by phase one of the project down to the east docks,” Braley described, “but the hurricanes forced us to pivot and move those tenants to our main dock instead while we had the east docks fixed. The east docks have been repaired, and the affected commercial tenants are now over there. Unfortunately, the fuel dock is not operational. Thankfully, because we were able to move our tenants to the main dock, the timeline of the project has not changed.”
Other challenges throughout the process have included the high prices of building materials and constructions from the pandemic. Getting the proper permits and the city’s fuel dock being in a federal waterway also presented challenges, though the city was expecting some with a project of this magnitude. However, the greatest challenge thus far has been ensuring the commercial tenants have been able to continue the operations of their businesses with as little disruption as possible, especially with the hurricane damage.
“It was inevitable that everyone was going to be impacted by this project,” Braley admitted. “But this has been our priority.”
Currently, the west end of the marina has been torn out, including the seawall and utilities, and hundreds of feet of sheet piles have been driven in order to create the foundation for the new seawall and the cap. Sheet piles will continue to be driven in until the completion line for phase one. The city will begin running utilities infrastructure, water lines and conduit to the new construction. Phase one is expected to be completed by January 2026, with phase two beginning immediately afterward.
Once the west end renovation is complete, it will have a mix of fixed and floating docks, while previously there were only fixed docks. Fixed docks will be available for commercial slips, while the floating docks will be for recreational slips. There will be various amenities offered, such as a fuel dock, ice machines, restrooms, laundry facilities, security cameras and services, water and power at each slip, parking and easy access to various restaurant and entertainment options. There is also the possibility of a new parking garage. One of the greatest new aspects will be the marina walk, which will allow people to walk along the marina and help the area feel more connected with the nearby beach area.
As construction progresses, Braley emphasized, “We are making every effort to safely keep the marina as open as possible, as it is the livelihood for many of our commercial tenants and business owners within our marina building. That was the basis behind doing the construction in phases. Currently, the phase one area of construction is barricaded off and the rest of the marina, except for the fuel dock, is open as normal.”
No2: Once the remodel is complete, the west end marina will be a hybrid mixture of fixed and floating docks for commercial and recreational boats. A fuel dock, ice machines, security cameras, water and power at each slip, and a marina walk connecting to the nearby beach areas. (Photo provided by the city of Clearwater, Fla.) 
No3: Currently, the west end of the marina has been torn out, including the seawall and utilities. Sheet piles have begun to be driven in to create the foundation for the new seawall and will continue to be driven in until phase one is complete. Utilities infrastructure, water lines and conduit will then be run to the new construction. (Photo provided by the city of Clearwater, Fla.) 
No1: Built in the 1950s, the Clearwater, Fla., Beach Marina had never had a full renovation completed. New plans to remodel began in 2021. The high price of materials due to pandemic, getting the proper permits and ensuring the commercial tenants were able to maintain operations have been some of the challenges faced by the city through the process. It is projected to be completed in August 2026. (Photo provided by the city of Clearwater, Fla.) No4: The Beach Marina project was split into two phases. Following damage to the dock in 2024 from hurricanes, phase one was then also split into two parts. Flooding and waves destroyed the fuel dock. Originally, commercial tenants were going to be moved to the east dock. However, tenants had to be moved to the main dock instead while the east dock was repaired, though the fuel dock is still not operational. (Photo provided by the city of Clearwater, Fla.)
