The old Al Cathey Municipal Pier ended in about 6 feet of water. Its replacement will also be 840 feet long, but it starts 230 feet farther out into the Gulf and ends in roughly 20 feet of water, WJHG reported in September. It's the same length set in different water. That pattern runs through all three waterfront projects the City of Mexico Beach has lined up for the next year. The canal jetties will reach farther, and the boat ramp is getting a floating dock it never had. Mexico Beach isn't restoring its waterfront to how it looked in 2018. It's building it out a bit farther than before.
Here is where each project stands, using the city's own weekly reports as of October 2026.
| Project | Location | What changes | Latest city status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Al Cathey Municipal Pier | End of 37th Street | Same 840-foot length, set 230 feet farther out, ending in about 20 feet of water | Pre-construction meeting held; construction to start mid-November |
| Canal jetties | Mexico Beach Canal entrance | East jetty extended 152 feet to 339 feet total; 42-foot section of west jetty repaired | Pre-construction meeting held; mobilization planned for early October |
| Boat ramp | City ramp | Ramp replaced, floating dock added | Sheet piles expected late October or early November |
| Parker Park amphitheater | Parker Park | Replaced a small wooden stage | Complete |
Thirty-seventh Street goes to one lane
The pier is the project residents will see first, and the one that will most affect a daily drive. The city's October 2 weekly report says the pre-construction meeting has been held. That meeting is required 45 days before work begins, and the report puts the start in mid-November. WJHG reported that work will be staged from the end of 37th Street and should take about a year. Traffic there will drop to one lane so materials can be stored.
Treat the date as the city's target, not a promise. Hurricane Isaias made landfall near Destin on the night of October 9, according to the National Hurricane Center. The city's October 9 report was written while staff were preparing for the storm, and it lists "No update" for the pier. We haven't seen a city statement since landfall that confirms or moves the schedule.
Money and permits were the slow parts, and both are now settled. WJHG reported on September 2 that the city had its U.S. Army Corps of Engineers permit and that a $10 million FEMA funding package was in its final two-week congressional notification period. City Administrator Mell Smigielski told the station the permit was the hardest part, because of strict state and federal rules that protect nesting sea turtles and shorebirds. Two days later, WJHG reported that the city had announced FEMA's official commitment to fund the rebuild.
The name stays the same. A 2025 WJHG story covered the dedication of the new pier to former mayor Al Cathey. City officials credited him with helping hold the town together during and after Hurricane Michael.
For anglers, the depth is the real change. Going from about 6 feet of water to about 20 means the new pier will put lines into different water than the old one ever reached.
The canal entrance gets longer arms
The jetties at the Mexico Beach Canal entrance are in line for similar work. A FEMA draft environmental assessment, dated January 2024 and posted on the city's site, describes the plan. The east jetty will be replaced and extended 152 feet, to a total length of 339 feet. A 42-foot section of the west jetty will be repaired and strengthened.
The extension has a practical goal. The assessment says longer jetties should let less sand into the canal, cut down how often it needs dredging, and make the channel safer to run. For anyone who keeps a boat on the canals, that means a steadier channel between dredging cycles.
Construction is planned from land. The assessment doesn't expect barges or work boats in the channel. The documents we reviewed don't say whether boaters will face channel restrictions while work is underway. The October 2 report said the jetty pre-construction meeting was done and mobilization would start the following week. As with the pier, the October 9 report shows "No update" for the jetty.
The boat ramp stays open while it's rebuilt
The third project is the one most likely to affect a Saturday morning. The city's invitation to bid for Boat Ramp Repairs & Expansion, issued April 10, 2026, covers replacing the ramp and adding a floating dock and related features. The city's projects page lists the work as funded by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the City of Mexico Beach.
The bid plan requires at least one ramp lane to stay open for the whole job, so the contract doesn't call for a full closure.
The timeline depends on steel. The October 9 report says the metal sheet piles should arrive in late October or early November. The contract sets substantial completion at 270 days, and final completion at 300 days, after the agreement is signed and the Notice to Proceed is issued. Those durations are counted from paperwork we haven't seen dated, so no calendar finish date can be stated yet.
What already got finished
Parker Park shows how these projects tend to end. Its new amphitheater replaced a small wooden stage and was in use by early September for the Mexico Beach CDC's free Music in the Park series, with Thursday concerts from 5 to 7 p.m. through September, WMBB reported. The station put the cost just under $300,000, paid with grants and city funds. It also reported that groups can apply for a special-use permit to hold their own events there. The October 9 report notes that a Mexico Beach logo sign has gone up on the back of the stage.
Smaller beach-access work is moving in the same report. The Sunset Park dune walkover is built but will stay closed until the as-built survey is done. Weather has slowed the walkover at 7th Street.
The fall calendar, set against the construction
Several dates through December fall around the pier and ramp schedules. They're listed as of early October. Check for changes after the storm.
- October 13, 27 and November 10, 17, 9 a.m. City Council meetings, where project updates are most likely to show up. Land Development Code workshops are set for October 29 and 30 and November 5.
- Mid-November. The city's stated pier construction start at the end of 37th Street.
- November 26, 8 a.m. The Thanksgiving Turkey Trot 5K starts and finishes at Under the Palms Park. Registration closes November 6, and there is no same-day sign-up.
- November 29. License-Free Saltwater Fishing Day waives Florida's recreational saltwater license for residents and non-residents. If the pier work starts on schedule, this will be the first one in years with the new pier under construction just offshore.
- December 6, 6 to 7:30 p.m. The Christmas Tree Lighting at Parker Park includes live music, a golf-cart parade, Santa, and a Fire Department toy collection.
The Farmers & Craft Market at Parker Park, 2500 Highway 98, is listed for November 14 and 28 and December 12 and 26. The listing gives two sets of hours, 8 a.m. to noon in the heading and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the description, so confirm before you go.
If WJHG's one-year estimate holds from a mid-November start, next year's version of this calendar will be the first since Hurricane Michael with a pier at the end of 37th Street.
If you own on the canals or near 37th Street and want to talk through how a year of pier, jetty and ramp work could affect your property or rental calendar, Beach Properties Real Estate Group is in Port St. Joe and keeps up with these city reports. Contact us anytime for a straightforward conversation.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.
