Crews at Lakefront Park Marina in St. Cloud started tearing out an old wooden dock this week, replacing it with a 175-foot aluminum structure after years of wear left the platform tilting and, according to at least one boater, unsafe to walk on. The city says the roughly $280,000 project is part of routine maintenance at the popular East Lake Tohopekaliga marina, and it comes with a new safety feature boaters have been asking for.
Jerrod Willett, who uses the marina regularly, said the old dock tilted slightly to the right the first time he walked on it, and worried that someone could have fallen into the water because of its condition, according to WESH. Suzette Deans described the old structure as essentially a ramp with a small chain, a far cry from what's replacing it. Construction officially got underway Tuesday, the day after Labor Day, with the project priced at $281,207, according to the Osceola News-Gazette.
The timing wasn't an accident. St. Cloud Parks & Recreation Director Stephanie Holtkamp said the city intentionally waited until after the holiday weekend to start demolition, since Labor Day is traditionally one of the busiest stretches of the year for local boaters, per the same report. That gave families one last uninterrupted weekend on the water before the work zone went up.
Boat Ramps Stay Open During the Work
Despite the demolition, the marina's main boat ramps remain open to the public throughout construction. Boaters are being directed to a temporary dock at the south end of the marina to load and unload their vessels while the new structure goes in, the outlet notes. Crews began demolishing the old wooden dock this week, and construction is expected to last through the end of September.
Once finished, the new aluminum dock will stretch 175 feet and include a 42-inch-high guardrail, an added safety measure the old structure lacked. The old dock had required parents to be especially careful around the water, and residents including Tabitha Melendez say the new version will be a great investment for the community. She added that the completed dock will be great for the community to visit once it reopens.
A Marina Built for Heavy Traffic
Lakefront Park Marina sees significant boat traffic, and it's easy to see why. The facility offers 143 total boat slips accommodating vessels up to 35 feet, along with water, electricity, gated security camera monitoring, lighted docks, and floating docks equipped with aerators for water circulation, according to the City of St. Cloud. Annual slip rentals run on 12-month contracts from October through September, costing $67.50 a month for St. Cloud residents and $135 for non-residents.
Boaters launching from the East Lake Toho Lakefront boat ramp without an annual permit pay a $6 daily parking fee for trucks with trailers, per the city's boat ramp policy. The marina sits along the southern shore of East Lake Tohopekaliga, a 12,000-acre lake known throughout Central Florida for premier largemouth trophy bass fishing and recreational water sports, according to Visit Florida.
More Than Just Boaters Rely on the Marina
The marina also serves as home port for The Lillie, a 75-foot paddleboat operated by the Old Florida Riverboat Company that has offered year-round guided tours and private charters on East Lake Toho since April 2025, as reported by FOX 35 Orlando. That means the dock work touches more than weekend anglers and family boaters — it also underpins a piece of the city's tourism economy.
Holtkamp, who earned national Certified Park and Recreation Executive certification in 2020, has overseen St. Cloud's parks, facilities, and maintenance operations for more than a decade. The dock replacement is being funded through the city's parks and recreation department budget and is considered part of routine maintenance and upkeep at the lakefront.
The marina anchors a much larger stretch of shoreline. St. Cloud's Lakefront Park includes a 2.1-mile multiuse paved recreational trail, a sandy swimming beach, a splash pad, and Dan Tarrell Memorial Point, which offers 12 temporary boat tie-outs, according to the city. With the ramps still open and a temporary loading dock in place, officials are hoping boaters barely notice the disruption before the new aluminum dock is ready by month's end.
