Indian Rocks Beach Approves Paid Parking Program To Fund Hurricane Recovery

Indian Rocks Beach city commissioners approved a paid parking pilot program Tuesday night. All 182 beach access spots will become paid spaces. The commission voted 5-0 to pass the ordinance, wiping out the last free beachfront parking in Pinellas County.

Parking will cost $4.50 per hour from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. The city plans to work with ParkMobile and other smartphone platforms to handle payments.

Residents will continue to park for free with a valid city window decal shown in their vehicle. Resident-only spaces will stay in place, and those with decals can also use paid spots without charge.

The ordinance also raises parking violation fines from $75 to $100. Violators who don't pay face the higher penalty.

City officials estimate the program could bring in about $100,000. Mayor Denise Houseberg said the funds are needed for storm recovery work.

"We run on a pretty lean budget, so any extra dollars we can get to continue repairing the city after the hurricane is great news," Houseberg said, according to FOX 13 News.

City Manager Ryan Henderson said the revenue will support infrastructure projects. "The revenue that would come in through our paid parking program would go back into the community, would go back into our community investment projects, where focusing on stormwater resiliency, focusing on maintenance, focusing on just keeping Indian Rocks Beach the special place that it is," Henderson said, according to Tampa Bay 28.

The program won't begin right away. Leaders want time for outreach and education before putting it into effect.

A start date hasn't been set. The city plans to create a website explaining how to pay, why the change is happening, and how the funds will be used.

Vice Mayor Commissioner Janet Wilson made a motion that changed the original hours of operation during Tuesday night's meeting, which was the second session dedicated to the proposal.

The commission held its first meeting on the topic last month, when leaders first voted 5-0 in favor of the transition. Before this ordinance, the beach community had the only remaining free beachfront parking spots in the county.