Pinellas beach parking costs more than ever
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Visitors to Pass-a-Grille and other Pinellas beaches face rising fees for parking. Photo: Kathryn Varn/Axios
It's more expensive than ever to park at Pinellas County's award-winning beaches.
The big picture: St. Pete Beach this month became the latest locale to hike its parking rate, following Treasure Island and Clearwater Beach and county parks Fort De Soto, Sand Key and Fred Howard last year.
State of play: The city's 50-cent increase brings hourly rates up to $5 on weekdays and $6 on weekends, with an extra dollar on top for the tourist season, February through April, Spectrum Bay News 9 reported.
- Most of the city's metered spaces are in the Pass-a-Grille neighborhood.
- Next month, Indian Rocks Beach — the area's last holdout of free beach parking — will start to charge $4.50 an hour.
Between the lines: The rate hikes underscore the rising costs of coastal living, especially after 2024's devastating hurricane season.
- Indian Rocks Beach city leaders told residents the parking revenue would be reinvested in drainage and infrastructure projects "essential to the long-term vitality and resilience of the community."
- After Hurricane Helene, St. Pete Beach leaders identified $200 million in needed upgrades to drainage and sewage systems.
- Along with increasing parking rates, former Mayor Adrian Petrila floated charging tourists a $1 toll to cross into the city. That drew widespread backlash from business owners, and residents voted out Petrila in March.
Yes, but: Some residents feel the parking rate increases make a once-affordable way to spend the day less accessible.
What they're saying: "If parking had been this expensive when I was raising young children, our beach days would have been far more rare," wrote Florida Politics reporter Janelle Irwin Taylor in a column.
- Taylor suggested creating an annual pass for Pinellas residents, capping the maximum fee so day trips don't get too expensive, or making an income-based parking pass available.
There's at least one other option for residents feeling the strain.
- Pinellas offers annual beach parking passes for $75 for Fort De Soto, Sand Key and Fred Howard parks.
- That's the equivalent of 12.5 hours of beach time under the current hourly rate of $6.
- There are also discounted passes available to people 65 and older ($55), current and former military members ($55), people with limited incomes ($37.50) and veterans with disabilities (free).