PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. (WFTS) — As summer comes to an end, people who visit our beaches say they are getting fed up with the high prices to park.
"Woah… $10.55 for two hours? Yeah, it’s pretty expensive… but that’s what you have to pay nowadays, I guess," said Dawn Smith, who is visiting Treasure Island.
When it comes to visiting our beautiful beaches, people now have to pay a lot more than they expect.
“The current prices seem to be pretty high, and I understand there’s been inflation and so forth. But for families and kids, five or six dollars an hour seems kind of high,” Tim Armstrong said.
This summer we’ve seen some of the highest parking prices along the coast compared to previous years, with hourly rates reaching $5 to $6.
“I mean, it’s not great. I know everything else is getting expensive... you kind of roll with it. But yeah, it definitely used to be cheaper to park here. Over the years, we’ve seen it go up,” Michael Padron said.
Tim Armstrong remembers when a trip to the beach was affordable a decade ago.
“You know, it was probably a dollar, a dollar fifty an hour back in that time frame,” Armstrong said.
Now people have to plan ahead.
“Plan the day — how long you’re going to stay, how much you’re going to spend on parking and the cost of food,” Smith said.
Some have recently avoided beaches with high parking rates.
“Sometimes I will go to Honeymoon Beach, where you just pay seven bucks for the day. You can be there all day, parked for seven bucks, so it saves money,” Andrea Guerrero said.
“The economy, everything is so high. Yeah, definitely, you try to find the most cost-effective beach you can go to,” Smith said.
People hope parking rates don’t go up any more, but say a day of fun is worth it.
"When we come to St. Pete, we always come to this spot. So I'm okay paying for the day here," said Guerrero.
"If you want to live the life, you got to pay the price," said Smith.
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Casey Albritton is dedicated to telling your stories throughout South Pinellas County. From St. Petersburg to Largo, she’s there to share the triumphs and struggles of the community she calls home. So, let Casey know about the stories that matter to you.
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