Government Digest 2/19/10

Pier's fate discussed
ST. PETERSBURG — The St. Petersburg Pier's fate may be decided in coming weeks after final public hearings and a citizen task force's recommendations go to the city council next month. The 700-foot pier needs major repairs as does the inverted pyramid-shaped building at the end of it.
The cost estimate for the pier alone is $50 million. A city icon for nearly four decades, the pier costs taxpayers $1.5 million a year in operating costs plus another $300,000 to $500,000 in capital improvements. The city anticipates a $14 million budget deficit next year.