If you’ve walked Naples Beach since Hurricane Ian, there’s been something unmistakably missing from the view.
The Naples Pier.
For generations, the pier has been part of everyday life in Naples. It’s where people went to fish, watch the sunset, spot dolphins, take visiting family, or simply walk out over the Gulf. When Hurricane Ian tore through Southwest Florida in September 2022, the storm caused devastating damage to the historic pier.
For Naples residents who grew up with it, losing the pier meant losing more than a structure.
Now, the Naples Pier rebuild is giving the community something it has waited years to see: its pier coming back. City officials have said the rebuilt pier could reopen as early as mid-2027, following a January 2026 groundbreaking backed by more than $11 million in FEMA funding.
Construction is now roughly 40% complete. Watch our progress update video below to see how far things have come.
And behind the construction happening along Naples Beach is an enormous amount of work most people will never see.
Eric’s Electrical Services is proud to be one of the local companies helping make that return possible.
“We’ve been working on this project since 2024, starting with the bidding process and preparing submittals for approval. We began actual construction in June of this year.” Eric, Eric’s Electrical Services
What’s Happening With the Naples Pier Rebuild?
The new Naples Pier will once again stretch more than 1,000 feet into the Gulf of Mexico.
But rebuilding a structure in one of the harshest environments in Southwest Florida isn’t the same as simply replacing what Hurricane Ian took away.
Every system has to account for life over saltwater, especially the electrical system.
Eric’s Electrical Services has been involved with the Naples Pier project since 2024. Before construction could begin, the team went through the bidding process, prepared project submittals, and worked through the engineering and approval process required for a project of this scale.
Their responsibility?
Powering the lights that will help bring the Naples Pier back to life after dark.
“We’re providing the power for the lights so the pier is fully illuminated at night for fishing.” Eric, Eric’s Electrical Services
Nearly 400 Marine-Grade Lights for the New Naples Pier
When the new pier opens, visitors may notice just how much lighting runs along the walkway.
There will be nearly 400 lights positioned along both sides of the more than 1,000-foot pier, spaced approximately every eight feet.
That lighting isn’t there only for appearance. It will illuminate the walkway and allow people to once again enjoy fishing from the Naples Pier after the sun goes down, much like the waterfront and boat dock lighting Eric’s team installs across Bonita Springs and Southwest Florida.
But getting hundreds of lights to work more than 1,000 feet out into the Gulf presents an electrical challenge most homeowners, and even many electricians, will never encounter.
Saltwater Changes Everything: Marine-Grade Electrical Equipment
Anyone who lives near the Gulf knows what salt air can do to metal.
Now imagine installing an electrical system directly over it.
“Saltwater and salt air are very harsh on electrical systems. To protect the infrastructure, we’re installing NEMA 4X switchgear (stainless steel rated for marine environments) and NEMA 6P junction boxes, which are rated to be completely submerged in water.” Eric, Eric’s Electrical Services
Every piece of specialized marine-grade equipment on this job is there for one reason: the pier’s environment demands it. Standard residential-grade gear simply wasn’t built for constant salt exposure, and cutting that corner would mean failures within a few storm seasons, not decades.
That’s why Eric’s Electrical Services can’t approach this project like a typical outdoor lighting installation. This is the same commercial electrical expertise the team brings to office buildings and retail spaces across Southwest Florida, scaled up for a marine environment.
These are details most visitors will never know are there.
That’s exactly the point.
Hiding the Electrical: Coordinating Conduit With Pier Construction
One of the more unusual challenges Eric’s Electrical Services encountered wasn’t simply figuring out how to power nearly 400 lights.
It was figuring out how to do it without making the electrical infrastructure a visible part of the pier.
“A major complication is that the client doesn’t want any electrical equipment to be visible, so we’ve had to find creative ways to hide it. We have to work closely with the company erecting the pier so we can run our conduits hidden underneath the decking.” Eric, Eric’s Electrical Services
That means Eric’s electricians have to coordinate their work closely with the team erecting the pier. Conduit has to be planned and installed beneath the decking as construction progresses.
Once the deck is finished, visitors should see a clean pier stretching toward the Gulf, not electrical infrastructure competing with the view.
Making something look that simple takes considerable planning.
“It requires a significant amount of planning and formal approvals by an engineer before installation can begin.” Eric, Eric’s Electrical Services
A conduit running underneath a deck might not look particularly complicated. Knowing where it needs to go, when it needs to be installed, what it needs to withstand, and how it integrates with more than 1,000 feet of construction is another matter entirely.
A Local Touch: Naples Residents Are Overseeing Their Own Waterfront
Somewhere in the middle of coordinating conduit runs and marine-grade switchgear, Eric picked up on something that has nothing to do with electrical work at all.
“I learned that the City of Naples employs local residents as project managers, meaning someone who owns a home right on the ocean there is helping to oversee the project.” Eric, Eric’s Electrical Services
It’s not a detail that shows up in any engineering spec. It’s just a reminder that the people making sure this project gets done right are the same people who will walk out onto that pier with their own families once it reopens.
What Eric Wants You to Notice When the Naples Pier Reopens (Mid-2027)
Ask Eric what the coolest piece of electrical equipment on the Naples Pier is, and he doesn’t point to a particular box, fixture or component.
“There’s nothing in particular that stands out as the coolest. It’s really the overall scope of the project.” Eric, Eric’s Electrical Services
And when the community is finally able to walk onto the new Naples Pier, there is one detail he hopes people notice.
“I’d want people to notice that the lighting is completely symmetrical, and that it functions perfectly for years to come with no issues.” Eric, Eric’s Electrical Services
From shore toward the end of the pier, the lighting should look clean, intentional, and symmetrical. But there’s a second part that matters even more to an electrician: years later, those lights should still work exactly as they’re supposed to.
That’s the difference between installing something that looks good on opening day and building an electrical system for the environment it actually has to live in.
Naples Pier Electrical Contractor: Proud to Help Bring It Back
The Naples Pier has weathered storms and rebuilds throughout its long history. Hurricane Ian became another chapter, but it isn’t the final one.
Today, crews from multiple trades are putting thousands of individual pieces together to rebuild a place Naples has been waiting to get back.
Eric’s Electrical Services is responsible for just one part of that much larger effort.
But someday, when families are walking the pier again, anglers are fishing after sunset, and nearly 400 lights are glowing over the Gulf, Eric and his team will know exactly what it took to make those lights come on.
Most of that work will be hidden beneath the deck.
And that’s okay.
We’re proud to help light the way back to the Naples Pier.
Need marine-grade or commercial lighting for your own waterfront property? Request a free quote from Eric’s Electrical Services.
FAQs
Who is doing the electrical work on the Naples Pier?
Eric’s Electrical Services, a Bonita Springs-based electrical contractor, is providing the power for the lighting infrastructure for the Naples Pier rebuild.
How many lights will be on the new Naples Pier?
Nearly 400 lights will run along both sides of the pier, spaced approximately every eight feet across more than 1,000 feet.
Why does the pier need special marine-grade electrical equipment?
Saltwater and salt-laden air corrode standard electrical components quickly. NEMA 4X switchgear and NEMA 6P junction boxes are built to withstand marine exposure, including complete submersion.
When will the Naples Pier reopen?
City officials have said the rebuilt pier could reopen as early as mid-2027.
