DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Daytona Beach's famous pier was supposed to reopen this month after repairs that started late last year, but new problems are going to keep it closed until at least this summer.
Asbestos was found in the paint and that means the pier will be closed for the city's major events, including Bike Week, spring break and the Daytona 500. The pier acts as a magnet for tourists, who leave the big hotels and walk down the newly-resurfaced boardwalk to walk out over the ocean, but there will be nothing to attract them for the next five to six months.
Constructions crews are still tearing apart Daytona's 84-year-old Main Street Pier. They're still adding to piles of debris building on the deck. Work time was already increased when, after treating for termites, they had to do it again for roaches. And, as crews peeled back more layers, they found more problems; this time, asbestos in the paint, inside and out, extending repair time into the summer season.
"Once you get down here, I seen guys come down carrying fishing poles, and they just turn around and go right back, cause it's locked up," said Joe Bonacci, owner of boardwalk business Pizza King.
Businesses on the boardwalk say they're already suffering from lower sales because tourists aren't staying in the area. It's why one couple form Wisconsin walked down Monday morning only to head right back to their hotel.
"As we got close, we realized there was construction going on. She said, ‘I think it's open.' We walked up here and disappointed to see it's not," tourist Ron Rosiejka said.
There is progress inside the pier, where a crumbling kitchen, bar and ballroom have been cleaned, part of an expected $1.6 million in repairs. There's new flooring inside and new decking outside to get people there. And some visitors said, in the end, they really come for other attractions; the pier is just a bonus.
"We're still going to go to NASA and to Orlando to ride some roller coasters, but it would be nice to see a different view of the beach," tourist Mark Berglund said.
Once reconstruction is done on the building, there is still demolition to do, including tearing down the old space needle ride that hasn't operated in several years.