Osprey Pier open for business

After undergoing construction in August, the Osprey fishing pier has been rebuilt and is open to the public.

Although the county hasn’t declared the project officially completed, visitors and fishers can use it. The railing around the pier has lowered sections to allow easier access for children and people confined to wheelchairs.

The pier has been closed since May 2012 after county engineers discovered a dangerously deteriorated foundation. Because the federal government had identified a possible breeding ground near the pier for smalltooth sawfish, an endangered species, it took nine months to get the permit to build a new pier, said Rob LaDue, the county project manager.

The project cost $300,000, but the county received a grant from the West Coast Inland Navigation District to cover construction.

Fulton Smith, a resident of Palmer Ranch, said he loves to use the pier to fish and brings his dog along. On Tuesday, he caught a sheepshead. He likes the variety of saltwater fish he can catch there and that it’s located so conveniently near his home.

Smith said he really enjoys being out on the bay, too.

“This is Sarasota,” he said.