Pier 60 Ferris Wheel in Clearwater Beach: A Bigger One Next?

According to the September 28 work-session transcript posted on Open Publica, before the meeting one Clearwater City Council member walked Pier 60 Park and took close-up photos of the Ferris wheel. At the meeting, that council member passed along what people who live and run businesses on the beach had been saying. They liked having a wheel there, and the Sugar Sand Festival season had gone well. Their concern was how the wheel looks, because it stands right at the roundabout, "kind of the first thing you see as you come through."

Staff had asked council whether to keep the temporary amusement program, rebid it, or end it in November. The discussion ended with direction to keep going and look for a wheel that better fits the site.

A one-year trial that made its case on the beach

The Wheel of Lights is a 90-foot LED Ferris wheel, and the Tampa Bay Times describes the ride as about 15 minutes long. It came out of a 2025 city solicitation, RFP 35-25, which asked vendors to pitch "innovative temporary attractions" that would also bring in revenue. The city got six proposals. It signed trial agreements with a kayak company and with Interstate Amusements, which operates the wheel.

The wheel opened the last weekend of November 2025 in Coachman Park downtown and moved to Pier 60 Park in February 2026. The city's staff memo lists the city's revenue from the wheel by month, and the move shows up clearly:

The total through July 2026 was $91,714.62. November through January, all downtown, brought in about $9,925. February through July, the month of the move plus five full months at Pier 60, brought in $81,790. March and April, the spring break and Sugar Sand stretch, brought in $32,740 together. July, though, was the best single month, ahead of both. Summer evenings by the Gulf did better than the busiest weeks of the tourist calendar. A temporary trackless train during the 2026 Sugar Sand Festival added $4,067.20, bringing the trial's combined total to $95,781.82.

What council was asked, and where it landed

Staff gave council three options for the temporary amusement program:

1. Keep going under the current agreement and its broad procurement approach.
2. Issue a new, narrower RFP with specific requirements for the type, location, duration or number of attractions.
3. End the program and let the current activity conclude after one year, in November 2026.

The memo also notes that during the original procurement, a stakeholder argued the RFP was too broad and should be rebid with a narrower scope. Staff went ahead with a trial contract to see whether it would make money and whether the public would accept it.

The Open Publica transcript shows council settling on Option 2, after discussion that also touched on whether a wheel belongs on the beach or back at Coachman Park. One council member put it this way:

"Issue a new targeted solicitation. Let's see what that generates on and then a bigger, better, cleaner, crisper fits our image opportunity and continue to move forward with it because it's worked and it's been a good revenue generator down there, as well as an attraction for tourists, visitors, as well as our residents."

The vice mayor's comments came up too, with the Santa Monica Pier's Ferris wheel offered as the kind of look that fits a beach with an international following. This was direction given at a work session, not a recorded vote. On the city's Legistar meeting page, the minutes were still marked draft and action results were listed as unavailable. Nothing published so far says whether the current Wheel of Lights keeps running past November while a new solicitation is written, issued and awarded.

Until then, the operator says the wheel is open nightly, weather permitting. Hours run from late afternoon into the evening. The wheel runs seven days a week from March through September, and off-season hours can vary, which matters now that it's October. Tickets are cashless and use wristbands.

The same approach is shaping the rest of the park

The wheel isn't the only commercial contract at Pier 60. On June 4, 2026, council approved a five-year agreement with All Around Amusements, LLC that runs through June 3, 2031. The agreement covers inflatable rides, a climbing wall, a bungee trampoline and trackless trains, with at least a bounce house, a dry slide and a wet slide. City staff projected $560,512 in payments over the five years, starting at $105,575 in year one and rising 3% a year.

All Around Amusements has run the entertainment concession on Clearwater Beach since 2014. According to WTSP, Parks and Recreation Director Art Kader said the company was the only one to respond to the request for proposals. The same WTSP report says the attractions are expected to run seven days a week, weather permitting, and to follow sea turtle nesting season restrictions. In March and April they move to another part of Clearwater Beach to free up space near Pier 60 for spring break and the Sugar Sand Festival. WTSP also quoted Chris Williams of Flipper's Fun Boat, who saw the expansion as more exposure for the whole beach: "When one of us wins, we all win."

Put the two contracts next to each other and the city's approach is consistent. Pier 60 Park is now expected to bring in revenue, and council is setting rules for how that looks and when it steps aside for the beach's biggest weeks. The June deal is approved, but published sources don't yet confirm that the full expanded lineup is set up and running.

The pier itself is on a slower schedule

Rides can come and go with a contract, but repairing a pier takes years of design and approvals. After Hurricanes Helene and Milton, the city signed a $313,575 contract with Bandes Construction in June 2025. It covered permanent repairs to the bait house and temporary repairs to the railings, not a rebuild of the whole pier. At a June 2, 2025 work session, staff laid out three options for permanent repairs, including removing or redesigning the T. Staff also said every railing on the pier needed to be replaced.

WTSP reported that the pier partially reopened on Labor Day, from the bait house out to the T. ABC Action News had reported the planned Labor Day reopening on August 31, 2025. The bait house came back with fishing supplies, sundries and restrooms. The T fishing stand at the far end stayed closed for temporary fixes while permanent repairs waited for approval. The next step came on the city council's March 30, 2026 agenda: a $708,227 design agreement with WSP USA, Inc. to develop plans to rehabilitate and harden the existing pier. Published records don't yet show the final action on that item, a construction schedule, or whether the T has reopened. City web pages don't agree with each other on the pier's fishing status either. Anyone heading out with a rod should check with the bait house before going.

Near the park, the city's Pier 60 Park page says sidewalk repairs are underway and some sidewalk sections are closed, while the pier, beach and park stay open.

What hasn't changed

Sunsets at Pier 60 has outlasted every contract on this list. The nonprofit festival first ran on March 17, 1995. It's still free and held every night in Pier 60 Park, weather permitting, from two hours before sunset to two hours after, with posted hours of 6 to 10 p.m. The wheel, the inflatables and the eventual pier design are all being planned around that nightly crowd.

Two dates on the city calendar this season bring regular programming back to the park:

• Saturday, November 7, 2026: The Make a Difference Fishing Tournament for Adults starts at 8 a.m. at Pier 60. The organizer is a 501(c)(3) serving children and adults with disabilities. Anglers get free gear, and participants get food and drinks.
• Thursday, December 31, 2026: Clearwater Beach's New Year's Eve event, Sunset to Sparkle, is put on in partnership with the Sunsets at Pier 60 Festival.

The next public step is the targeted solicitation council asked staff to write. Until it's issued, nothing published says what kind of wheel will stand at the roundabout after November.

If you live near Pier 60 or own property close to the park, these park contracts affect your part of the beach for the next five years, and they usually come up when buyers ask about a property. Justin Aftanis has followed Clearwater Beach for more than 25 years. He can walk you through how changes like these play into a sale or a purchase near the park. Schedule a Consultation to talk it over.