On Saturday, December 5, decorated and lit boats will leave Marker 1 Marina and head down the Intracoastal toward the Dunedin Marina. The City lists the 6 to 9 p.m. event as the "return" of Dunedin's Holiday Boat Parade. The Dunedin Boat Club presents the parade every year, and the club has spent the two years since the 2024 hurricanes without the historic blue boathouse it lost on the marina peninsula.
The route says a lot about where the marina stands. The boats start at a different marina and finish at Dunedin's. That matches the rest of the marina this fall. You can walk it, eat there, catch a ferry there and watch the water from it. You still can't put your own boat in at the City ramp or fish from the City pier, and the most damaged docks won't be rebuilt for years.
The waterfront opened from the edges in
If you haven't been down to 51 Main Street lately, the City's main Marina page won't give you an accurate picture. It still says the marina "remains closed due to extensive hurricane damage," and lists the basin, boat ramp, day docks and fishing pier as closed. The City's Dunedin Marina Restoration Update on Engage Dunedin was last updated October 5, 2026, and it tells a newer story.
Here's where things stand, according to that update:
- Open: The peninsula has reopened to the public, the Windlasses and DTSA.
- Open to tenants: All slip renters can return, after they sign new agreements with the City.
- Closed until it fills: The marina basin stays closed until slip renters repopulate it.
- Closed: The boat ramp. The City's goal is to reopen it in 2026 under new regulations, and it will re-evaluate once the marina is operational and work on the most damaged areas has started.
- Under construction: The east seawall. The parking area and drive aisle next to Edgewater Park are closed while that work goes on, and completion is expected this fall.
- Gone for now: The fishing pier. Above-water demolition finished in early summer 2026, and construction begins once all permits are approved.
The businesses kept going through all of this. Even the outdated closure notice said commercial charters and Olde Bay Cafe were open, with fishing, sightseeing, sunset and dolphin charters running from the north-wall commercial dock. Olde Bay Cafe still bills itself as a dockside cafe with marina-view dining. Bon Appétit at 148 Marina Plaza serves lunch and dinner daily and is already promoting Thanksgiving 2026 dining.
Parking is the one practical catch. Since the lot by Edgewater Park is closed for seawall work, plan to walk in from downtown, or skip driving and come by water.
For now, the easiest boat ride starts at the ferry landing
The City's ramp is closed, so the most dependable way onto the water from the marina right now is a seat on someone else's boat. Dunedin set up a temporary ferry landing through an interlocal agreement with the City of Clearwater, whose marina staff helped build it, and the Clearwater Ferry began serving it on October 9, 2025.
The Clearwater Ferry says it is currently running Thursday through Sunday between Downtown Clearwater, Clearwater Beach Marina near Pier 60, and Dunedin Marina. Reservations aren't required, but the operator recommends them, and walk-ons board if there's room. Fares went up $1 on September 17, 2026. After that increase, PSTA's ferry page lists these fares:
| Fare | Red Line | Blue Line |
|---|---|---|
| Adult | $6 | $9 |
| Reduced | $3 | $4.50 |
| Children 8 and under | Free | Free |
The downloadable timetable shows Red Line hours of 10 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. and Blue Line hours of 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. That same PDF still prints the old fares, though, and PSTA's page describes a February-through-Labor Day season. Before you build a Sunday around it, check the booking and schedule page to confirm departures.
Piper on the Pier takes the night off for the parade
Some of the most Dunedin moments on the water need no boat at all. Piper on the Pier runs on Fridays and Saturdays on the pier at Bon Appétit. A Dunedin piper plays bagpipe melodies, "Amazing Grace" among them, starting about 20 minutes before sunset, and sometimes a Dunedin drummer joins in. Dunedin Parks & Recreation and the City of Dunedin Pipe Band present it.
The City lists Friday and Saturday dates through the fall at a nominal 6:30 to 7 p.m. Sunset sets the real start time, though, and it keeps moving earlier as the season goes on. There's no performance on November 21, November 27, December 5 or December 25. December 5 is parade night, so the waterfront's two evening traditions won't overlap. The piper is back the following weekend.
The City hasn't named viewing spots for the parade yet. The event page says only that the boats will "parade along the intercoastal toward Dunedin Marina," with more details to come.
The slips came back with a higher bill
Slip renters are back in the marina under new agreements with the City, and starting this month they pay more. The Tampa Bay Beacons reported on September 15 that commissioners unanimously approved a 7% slip-rate increase starting October 1. A city rate study had called for 10%, and commissioners credited a $3 million state appropriation for hurricane repairs with cutting it by 3 points. This is the fourth increase in a series consultant Raftelis recommended in 2023, after 10% increases in April 2023, October 2024 and October 2025.
Finance Director Les Tyler told the Beacons the smaller increase depends on federal money:
"As long as FEMA fully reimburses us, we know we have a really good plan. If they don't fully reimburse us, we may have to look at adjusting the rates in the future, but right now we think it's a good plan."
According to the same report, the biggest open question is whether FEMA will pay the mitigation cost of replacing Docks A and B with modern floating docks. That project, along with the fishing pier and the boathouse, makes up the slow part of this recovery.
The part of the marina on a 2028 clock
The City has put dollar figures on the three big storm projects. The bulkhead project totals $3.5 million, with $2.625 million expected from FEMA. Docks A and B total $5 million, with $3.75 million expected from FEMA. The City puts the fishing pier at $2,139,238.91 and has a $1.5 million state appropriation to offset part of it. The Beacons cited a figure of about $2.3 million for the pier and reported that state and federal permitting agencies are holding it up.
Here's the order things are expected to come back, based on the City's own projections:
- East seawall, fall 2026. BDI Marine is working on it now, and the Edgewater Park parking area is closed until it's done.
- Boat ramp, goal of 2026. This is a goal, not a date. It depends on the marina becoming operational and on new regulations.
- Fishing pier, day docks and emergency docks, once permits are approved. On-Point Contracting Company was awarded the job in January, and demolition of the old pier above the water is finished.
- Docks A and B, starting 2028. Design and permitting began in May 2026 and are expected to take 24 months, so floating-dock replacement follows after that.
The boathouse is on a similar timeline. The Dunedin Boat Club was formed on September 3, 1929, and is one of Florida's oldest sailing clubs. It has teamed up with Sailability, the Dunedin Youth Sailing Association, the Windlasses and Science on the Sound on a new Dunedin Boat Club and Sailing Center. The building will be city-owned and independently run, on the same model as the Dunedin Fine Art Center. In August, philanthropists David and Nancy Bilheimer gave $300,000, which the Beacons reported brought fundraising to about two-thirds of the $1 million goal. The club's rebuilding FAQ, last updated in November 2025, projected construction in the second half of 2027 and completion in spring 2028.
For now, the club behind December's parade doesn't have a building at the marina it's sailing toward. On the night of December 5, those boats will arrive at a peninsula that's open to the public, beside a seawall nearing completion, near the empty spot where the fishing pier used to be.
If you own a boat, a slip or a waterfront home near St. Joseph Sound, the marina's rebuild schedule affects your plans more than any holiday calendar does. Justin Aftanis has followed the Dunedin waterfront for more than 25 years and is happy to talk through what the ramp, dock and seawall timelines mean for your plans. Schedule a Consultation with Justin Aftanis whenever you're ready.
