Pier pressure: Owner, town at odds over shuttered beach attraction

Once a popular seaside attraction for locals and tourists alike, the Redington Long Pier vanished, seemingly for good, in spring 2020, demolished after a yearslong battle between property owner Nashaat “Tony” Antonious and the town of Redington Shores. At 17490 Gulf Blvd., the 0.78-acre site now sits vacant, except for a motley assortment of vehicles — RV, tow truck, jet skis, etc. — and a ramshackle screened fence that blocks access to what used to be a parking lot for beachgoers.

The parcel is prime real estate, right on the Gulf, but because of its zoning — recreation/open space — Antonious, or whoever buys the property, has limited development options. That’s the crux of the dispute that’s turned the former Long Pier into an eyesore.