As preparations get underway to offset the impact of yet another storm, millions of dollars were already planned to be invested into the Hurricane Ian-damaged Flagler Beach Pier.

The wooden structure took a beating from Ian and has since been deemed unsafe and has been condemned.

Funky Pelican, a local restaurant that’s been attached to the pier for years, was able to keep its doors open but has witnessed firsthand the kind of impacts these storms have on the community.

“It’s been a landmark here for a really long time,” restaurant server Stephanie Bingham said of the pier.

Bingham has nearly two decades of experience making sure customers are properly taken care of, and for the last seven years, she’s called the Funky Pelican her work home.

The interactions and opportunities to make someone smile are what Bingham says she looks forward to when she starts each day.

“Flagler Beach is a great place, and Funky Pelican is a great place," she said. "I love my coworkers — we have a bonding friendship, and we love to see each other every day."

The historic Flagler pier has been a staple in the community for over half a century, but damage from Ian and past storms, have prompted some significant changes to the structure.

“It’s a little slow right now just with all the construction, and it is holding up a little bit of our parking outside," Bingham said. "But people are coming in, and they are finding parking, so we’re happy to bring everybody back and get back to the funky, groovy atmosphere that we love."

While the Funky Pelican could avoid any structural problems that would affect its business in the meantime, the pier behind them is on its way to being demolished and rebuilt.

For someone like Bingham, the pier is more than just a place she works — she says it has provided her with lifelong memories, like the yearly events it hosts and the people it brings in.

“The fishers are really upset because they come out every day, morning, noon, and night and fish all day," she said. "So now they have nothing to come to.”

City officials say replacing the current wooden structure with concrete pier could solve any future storms that hit the area, and $10 million for the project has already been collected through FEMA.

Officials said they expect demolition of the pier to be completed before the summer of next year., and the current wooden pier will remain closed until then.

“We’re looking forward to a new one,” Bingham said with a smile.

Experts say a new pier could take about three years to be completed.