Dunedin's Marina Has Two Big Dates This Season, and Only One Is on the Calendar

At the Jan. 8 Dunedin City Commission meeting, commissioners awarded the contract to rebuild the marina's hurricane-damaged fishing pier. City engineer Clayton Watkins then gave them a deadline that had nothing to do with engineering. "The main intention is we want to make sure we're up and going before Dec. 1 so we can have the boat parade," he said, according to the Tampa Bay Times. Mayor Maureen Freaney suggested aiming for Nov. 15, "just so we have two weeks to not worry."

Nine months later, the damaged pier has been demolished above the water and construction on the new one hasn't started. Most of the marina's waterfront has come back, though. The peninsula is open, the ferry is running, and on Saturday, Oct. 17, Edgewater Park hosts a free seafood festival on the same day a marina restaurant marks 50 years. Of the two big waterfront dates this season, October's is the only one that's been confirmed. December's depends on federal permits.

How the pier timeline slipped

The pier's schedule changed in three steps this year, and each public update pushed the finish line further out.

The gap between the second and third rows is the one Watkins warned about in January. He told commissioners there could be "a gap of several months between demolition and construction while awaiting federal permits," and said federal agencies were catching up after a furlough. Commissioner Tom Dugard suggested treating demolition and construction as two separate projects for exactly that reason. That's how it played out. The City reports the above-water demolition complete, and construction is still waiting on permits.

The City's marina page was last updated Oct. 5, 2026. Its project tracker still shows "Demolition of Fishing Pier Begins" as the current stage, even though the written update says above-water demolition finished in early summer. "Construction of New Fishing Pier Begins" is listed as upcoming.

When the new pier does go up, it won't be a redesign. In the City's FAQ on that page, staff say "the new pier at the marina will be an exact rebuild of the old pier." The City puts the pier's cost at $2,139,238.91, funded by FEMA, the State Disaster Fund and the City's General Fund. A separate $1.5 million state appropriation will offset part of that.

What's already back on the waterfront

The pier gets the attention because it's the most visible gap. Here's what the City's Oct. 5 update lists for the rest of the marina:

• The peninsula is open to the public, the Windlasses and the Dunedin Youth Sailing Association.
• Slip renters can return, after signing new agreements with the City. Parking permits for 2027 go on sale at the Harbor Master Office in December 2026.
• Docks A and B have been stabilized. Replacing them with floating docks is expected to start in 2028, and permitting for that work, which began in May 2026, is expected to take 24 months.
• The east seawall is under construction. BDI Marine is working on it now, and the City expects completion in fall 2026.
• The parking area and drive aisle next to Edgewater Park are closed while the seawall work continues. Dock access will be maintained, but at times it may be limited.
• The public boat ramp is still closed. The page says it will be "re-evaluated after the marina is operational." The same page also lists a goal of reopening it in 2026 with new regulations. In March, the State of the City described that goal as reopening the ramp for residents only.

The closed Edgewater Park lot matters most for anyone heading to the marina this month. The park is where Dunedin's busiest waterfront day of the fall takes place.

Saturday, Oct. 17, with the lot still closed

Two separate celebrations fall on the same Saturday, a short walk apart.

The Dunedin Seafood & Music Festival runs from noon to 9 p.m. at Edgewater Park. Olde Bay Café presents it, and the lineup includes Aubrey Wollet, Southern Sands and Streetwise. Admission is free and pets are welcome, but coolers aren't allowed.

At 148 Marina Plaza, Bon Appétit Restaurant & Marina Bar is celebrating its 50th anniversary all October. According to the Palm Harbor-Dunedin Beacon, the official celebration date is Oct. 17. The restaurant plans throwback menu items, entertainment and giveaways, though when the Beacon reported in late August it hadn't announced the schedule yet. Its website lists live music at the outdoor waterfront bar Thursday through Sunday and indoor piano Wednesday through Sunday. It also advises guests to check conditions before counting on outdoor music.

So a free all-day festival and a restaurant's 50th anniversary will draw people to the same stretch of waterfront on the same afternoon. The closest parking area is closed, and a construction contractor is still working along the east seawall. That makes the boat a practical way to get there.

Arriving by ferry

The Clearwater Ferry has docked at a temporary landing at Dunedin Marina since Oct. 9, 2025. Clearwater Marina staff built it under an interlocal agreement between the two cities. In January, a commissioner asked whether pier construction would interrupt ferry service. Watkins answered "No" and said keeping service running would be discussed at preconstruction meetings.

The Clearwater Ferry site says the route is currently running Thursday through Sunday. It stops at Downtown Clearwater, Clearwater Beach Marina near Pier 60, and Dunedin Marina. Reservations aren't required, and walk-ons board when there's room. Since Oct. 17 is a Saturday, it falls within the ferry's current operating days.

Fares just changed. PSTA raised Clearwater Ferry fares by $1 effective Thursday, Sept. 17, 2026. PSTA's fare page now lists a one-trip adult fare of $9 on the Blue Line and $6 on the Red Line. Reduced fares are $4.50 and $3, and children 8 and under ride free. The operator's downloadable timetable still shows the older fares. The official pages also disagree on hours: the timetable lists 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., while PSTA describes a February-through-Labor Day season running until 8 p.m. Check the live schedule before planning a late return.

The December question

Unlike the October festival, the boat parade isn't on the calendar yet.

So far, no date, route or viewing plan has been announced for the 2026 Dunedin Holiday Boat Parade. The last detailed City listing found in the research is from 2023. That parade ran Saturday, Dec. 2, from 6 to 9 p.m., starting at Loggerhead Marker 1 Marina and heading along the Intracoastal to Dunedin Marina. A regional holiday-parade calendar lists the Dunedin parade as cancelled in 2025. In March, the City publicly committed to holding the 2026 parade.

That commitment and the pier deadline were always separate promises, even though the January meeting talked about them together. The marina update says nothing about how pier construction might affect a parade. The City could still hold a 2026 parade without a finished pier, but nothing has been posted saying how or where. Until an event listing appears, residents only know three things for sure. The City intends to hold the parade, the 2025 parade didn't happen, and the pier the parade used to finish beside is still waiting on permits.

When the pier is back, the January meeting describes what it will include. The plans call for a new fishing pier, gangway, floating dock system, rescue dock, timber fender piles, new sidewalks and planters, a boat lift system and lighting. The floating dock will be rebuilt in concrete instead of aluminum. At that meeting, Mayor Freaney called the marina and pier "the jewel of Dunedin," and said the pier "is sorely missed by everyone."

We'll update this when the City posts a construction start or a parade date. The two may come within weeks of each other, or months apart.

Living near the water in Dunedin means following projects like this one, where a ramp, a seawall or a pier can change how a street works for a season. If you own near the marina and want to know how your home stands right now, Ocean Breeze Luxury Realty can put together a free home valuation that reflects the waterfront as it is this fall.