WATCH LIVE: Check Out Brevard Beach Conditions from the Cocoa Beach Pier Live Webcam

CHECK OUT THE CURRENT SURF CONDITIONS

ABOVE VIDEO: See what’s happening at the Cocoa Beach Pier, which stretches 800 feet over the Atlantic Ocean. and is constructed with more than 2.5 miles of boardwalk planks and 270 pilings, each 40 feet in length.

BREVARD COUNTY • COCOA BEACH, FLORIDA – Built in 1962 by local businessman Richard Stottler, the Cocoa Beach Pier is a historical landmark on the Space Coast.

Stretching 800 feet over the Atlantic Ocean, the Pier (originally known as “Canaveral Pier”) was constructed with more than 2.5 miles of boardwalk planks and 270 pilings, each 40 feet in length. Since the beginning, the Pier has been a favorite of both locals and tourists and has undergone many changes over the years.

Longtime locals reminisce of the days in the early 1960s when visitors could drive their cars right up onto the Pier itself. The Pier also offered a “grandstand seat” for Mercury, Apollo and Space Shuttle launches at nearby Cape Canaveral (which was known as “Cape Kennedy” in honor of President John F. Kennedy between 1963 and 1973).

Famous astronauts such as Alan Shepard, the first American in space, reportedly visited the Pier.

In addition, Cocoa Beach evolved into the “Surfing Capital of the East Coast” and the Pier became the center of surfing activity, drawing the likes of Dick Catri (widely considered the “Godfather of East Coast Surfing”), as well as Cocoa Beach native and 11-time world champion Kelly Slater.

In fact, one of the original Ron Jon Surf Shops opened directly on the Pier in 1963 (the small surf shop flourished and Ron Jon owner Ron DiMenna moved to a bigger location at Ron Jon’s present location at State Road 520 and A1A). The first Easter Surfing Festival was held in 1964.

In the early 1970s, the Pier was also home to a bustling dance club called Asylum, which boasted a cosmic lighted dance floor and live rock music. Many musical acts have played at the Pier over the years such as Bachman-Turner Overdrive, The Edgar Winter Group, The Beach Boys, A Flock of Seagulls, UB40, Ratt, Ziggy Marley, Maxi Priest and others.

In 1983, the Pier underwent a $2 million remodeling and expansion, which included the opening of the award-winning Pier House Restaurant (now known as the Atlantic Ocean Grille).

In 1984, the Pier changed its name from Canaveral Pier to its present name, Cocoa Beach Pier. The first Cocoa Beach Fest was held at the Pier in 1989.

Today, the Pier draws more than one million visitors annually and is home to four restaurants, five tropical bars, gift shops and boutiques. The Pier is also the site of immensely popular annual surfing, fundraising and social events.

In the spring of 2014, David Siegel, President and CEO of Westgate Resorts, and his longtime business associate Jim Gissy purchased the Pier from the original owners, the Stottler family. Both men have strong ties to the Central Florida region and look forward to continuing and enhancing the wonderful traditions of the Cocoa Beach Pier.

As of 2017, David Siegel and Jim Gissy have invested over $4 million transforming and reimagining the pier as a family-friendly world-class tourist attraction. The expanded Rikki Tikki Tavern sitting 800 feet over the Atlantic Ocean is among the premier dining experience in Brevard County.

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