TAMPA, Fla. — Officials from the City of St. Pete Beach are considering tolling tourists to help pay for what the mayor calls necessary repairs to infrastructure across the city.
What You Need To Know
City of St. Pete Beach officials say they’re due for $200 million in infastructure improvements, without the budget to fix it
To alleviate the burden and keep taxes on residents low, the mayor is proposing tolling all visitors $1 along Gulf Boulevard
Mayor Adrian Petrila says he’s been in contact with FDOT, which says they’re willing to divest Gulf Boulevard to the city
It may be a bit more expensive next time you go and enjoy St. Pete.
“I have to say I’m absolutely horrified,” said Lauren Chezaud, owner of Café Soleil.
She says the still-recovering community is in desperate need of tourists — and their dollars. But she doesn’t think a proposal to toll visitors is the answer; she’s convinced people may just avoid the area.
“The beach should belong to people. It’s already difficult for families to come spend a day on the beach. It costs them a lot for parking. But to add an extra fee for them to go enjoy the beach or go for a swim — it’s just totally crazy,” Chezaud said.
St. Pete Beach Mayor Adrian Petrila proposed an idea Monday to start tolling visitors to help pay for what he calls — much-needed infrastructure improvements.
“Turns out all the things we were told were fine were not actually fine. And we’re 20 years behind on maintenance and infrastructure,” Petrila said in Monday’s commissioners’ meeting.
The mayor says he’s been in touch with FDOT, who he says is “more than happy” to transfer ownership of Gulf Boulevard to the city.
Once, and if, that happens, the city wants to start charging $1 to every visitor coming onto the island to help pay for the renovations. Residents and workers, the mayor says, would be exempt.
According to the mayor, this work has to be done, and on Monday it seemed the only options were this toll or hiking taxes on residents.
Petrila believes the city would be able to raise $11 million annually through tolls. That, along with increased parking enforcement, will help ease the burden.
“We would be funding the infrastructure and the needs that we desperately have in our community without adding a greater burden to the residents. We wouldn’t be adding more cars. We wouldn’t be adding more additional cost to our residents,” said Petrila.
But business owners aren’t sold.
“Looking at what’s gone on the last couple years, and we can go further past that, but poor timing,” Matthew Dahm, owner of Mastry’s Brewing Company, said.
Dahm also believes this would keep customers away.
He’s asking the city to focus on positive ways to encourage visitors that would help the businesses that made it through last year’s storms.
“I just don’t think it floats. You see it all the time: 30% of our tax base comes from tourism. So now you’re going to tell 30% of that not to come out here anymore,” said Dahm.
At this point, the plan is just that: a plan. It’s unclear exactly where these toll booths would be placed or how soon FDOT could transfer ownership to the city.
Spectrum Bay News 9 reached out to FDOT to learn more about this proposal and to learn more about the discussions with the city, but they didn’t respond.