PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — People who visit and live along St. Pete Beach will soon see fewer transportation options.
Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority finalized its budget for next year and made some changes to its bus route system.
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"It's going to impact big time…because again, a lot of people, it's either a bike or a bus," said Jerry Zamudio.
Zamudio owns Beach Vibe Cycle Rentals on St. Pete Beach and right outside the shopping plaza is a stop for bus route 90, which will soon be eliminated.
"It's going to make things more difficult for people for sure because again, I see a lot of people get on and off the bus," said Zamudio.
The Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority finalized its budget for next year and decided to cut bus route 90, which connects South St. Pete to St. Pete Beach, citing low ridership.
Business owners and visitors said transportation on St. Pete Beach is becoming very limited and expensive, creating issues for tourism and nearby residents.
Zamudio said many people use Route 90 to get to work and spend their weekends on the beach, and losing that option will hurt business.
"Locals that are just looking to get away for the weekend and thats how they get around," said Zamudio.
Leaders with PSTA said cutting Route 90 will help homeowners save roughly 69 cents on their millage rate for the average household annually.
Richie Floyd is on the PSTA board and voted against eliminating Route 90, but said the money saved from the cut should be used for other things.
"We need to make sure that we are actually moving money to positive investments for people," said Floyd.
He said PSTA should be improving transportation options.
"We need to invest more in premium transit that people can use as a first option, so that we can get less congestion on the roads, save people money if they want to live a car-light lifestyle," he said.
Parking rates on St. Pete Beach also have increased over the last year, and the Freebee shuttle service is being discontinued.
With fewer transit options in the area, Zamudio, said St. Pete Beach needs all the support it can get.
"Please take into consideration to support locally and buy locally as well…and take care of your local businesses because we are the backbone of the community," said Zamudio.
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