ST. PETE BEACH — City Commissions are considering relaxing the island’s parking fee ordinance, voting unanimously on first reading to permit changes by resolution that will require fewer public hearings.

Assistant City Manager Adam Poirier said during the Feb. 25 meeting that the move is an early step in a long-term plan to update the city’s parking program.

“We’ve been working on a parking action plan for the last several months based on some consultant recommendations,” Poirier said. “It’s certainly a multi-tier process and certainly a long-term process to get all the recommendations in line, and to get the parking program to where it really should be today. This is one of the first early steps in that.”

Poirier explained that parking fees are currently approved by ordinance, which requires two readings and a public hearing. The proposed change to a resolution would allow the city to be “a little bit more flexible” with important fees that need regular updating.

“This first reading of this ordinance would basically pull those parking fees out of the appendix, and we’d be able to update them by resolution,” Poirier told commissioners. “It still maintains a legal compliance. It approves the administrative flexibility of those fees, and makes us able to adjust them a little quicker.”

He added that the commission would still have the authority to enact the changes, which would still provide for public comment and align “with best practices across other municipalities.”

City Management Analyst Kathleen Murray noted that staff identified the need for a more flexible mechanism to allow the City Commission to adjust parking fees in response to operational needs, seasonal demand and policy direction, while maintaining full commission oversight.

The change would allow future parking fee adjustments to be made by resolution rather than ordinance and preserve commission authority, as all parking fees would continue to require City Commission approval.

Murray stated that there is no direct fiscal impact associated with the ordinance’s adoption. Any future revenue impact would be tied to parking fee changes adopted separately by resolution.

The ordinance notes that all remaining provisions of Appendix A, including wastewater user fees, shall remain in effect. Any parking fees previously adopted by ordinance shall remain in effect unless amended or repealed by resolution.

Mayor Adrian Petrila supported the change, saying, “This will allow us to be more flexible and move a little bit more efficiently and expeditiously.”

Staff plans to present updated fee options to the commission at the next meeting. Once the commission passes the resolution request on second reading, an updated fee schedule would be brought to the commission as part of the newly adopted resolution structure.

Official urge public awareness to protect nesting shorebirds

St. Pete Beach, county, and wildlife officials are asking for public awareness in protecting shorebirds as the official nesting period begins and lasts until Aug. 31.

Shorebirds are secretive nesters, laying their eggs in shallow scrapes in the sand that can look like a tiny footprint, St. Pete Beach and Pinellas County officials advise. Many species return to the open beaches this time of year to lay eggs. Local authorities and conservation groups, who have already begun actively monitoring and initiating protection efforts, ask the public to remain vigilant to identify and protect potential nesting areas.

Active monitoring has begun with teams from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and partners like Audubon Florida on the ground to rope off critical habitats.

In Pinellas County, beachgoers can expect to see several state-threatened and protected species returning to the shorelines, including:

• Black skimmers, often found nesting in large colonies on beaches like St. Pete Beach.

• Least terns, small, agile birds that nest in open sandy areas.

• American oystercatchers, known for their bright orange bills, who frequent sites like Shell Key.

• Snowy and Wilson’s plovers, which are highly camouflaged and rely on the sugar-white sand for protection.

To adapt to development, some least terns, a threatened species in Florida, now nest on gravel rooftops as a surrogate for overcrowded beaches, according to the Clearwater Audubon Society. The Society advises that their rooftop biologists work with volunteers to watch over these rooftop colonies, installing chick fencing, recording critical fledge data, and returning fallen chicks to their families.

A collaborative effort between Audubon Florida, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, and Clearwater Audubon monitors rooftop nesting least terns. They return fallen chicks to rooftops using a locally designed “chick-a-boom,” which is a small bucket on the end of a long pole, an Audubon Society spokesperson explains.

Guidelines for Protecting Nesting Birds

Environmental groups advise beachgoers to protect nesting birds by:

• Not allowing dogs to run on the sand and scare adult birds sitting on nests. Dogs easily frighten adult birds away from their nests, leaving eggs vulnerable to heat and predators.

• Properly disposing of food and trash to avoid attracting predators, like crows or raccoons, that will destroy nests and eat eggs.

• Not flying kites, using drones, or setting off fireworks in nesting areas, as birds perceive them as predators. Fireworks scare adult birds, causing them to abandon their nests, leaving eggs vulnerable.

About the Florida Scrub-Jay

While the focus is on shorebirds, the Florida scrub-jay, the only bird found exclusively in the state, lives in oak scrub habitats and is federally listed as threatened.

Florida scrub-jays primarily nest from March to June. These birds prefer thickets of sand pine and scrub oak, recently burned sites, and shore-dune thickets—all habitats found in the sandy soils.

Known by their scientific name, Aphelocoma coerulescens, the scrub-jay is found in scrub habitats along coasts, rivers, and on some high inland ridges, but will not generally nest in heavily forested areas.

According to the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, scrub-jays mate for life and build new nests annually in shrubby oaks, usually three to 10 feet off the ground. They are cooperative breeders, meaning pairs are assisted by helpers—usually offspring from previous years—in defending territory and feeding the young. Females lay two to five eggs, which are incubated for roughly 17 to 18 days. Young fledgling birds typically leave the nest about 12 to 25 days after hatching.

Because Florida scrub-jays are a threatened species, land clearing or underbrush removal in their habitat is prohibited or restricted from March to June.

The public is asked to report anyone entering protected areas or harming birds by calling the FWC Alert Hotline at 1-888-404-3922.