ST. PETE BEACH, Fla. (WFLA) — The Mayor of St. Pete Beach, Adrian Petrila, has proposed tolls at the north, central, and southern access points to the barrier island in order to help rebuild infrastructure following Hurricanes Milton and Helene.

Tolls would only be charged for tourists, while businessowners, employees, and residents would be exempt, according to the mayor.

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“The city needs roughly $200 million dollars to bring our infrastructure up to good functioning position,” Petrila said during a city commission meeting Monday.

The toll plan, part of a larger project, would ideally create revenue to fix seawalls, stormwater systems, sewer pipes, and more. Approximately 60,000 trips are taken to St. Pete Beach daily, according to the Florida Department of Transportation. The mayor estimates a $1 toll would create around $11 million in revenue for the city each year.

Businessowners along the coastal portions of the beach told 8 On Your Side they are concerned over a loss of tourism-related profits, and traffic on the island.

“It’s just disheartening. It’s just another tax for a mismanaged city. That’s all it is. It’s already a time when business is down from the hurricane, from people already struggling. It’s just one more burden on the common people that just want to enjoy the beach,” said Matt Vario, the owner of the Toasted Monkey Bar and Restaurant.

The proposal did not include information on the price of the toll plazas, nor exactly where they would be placed.

“Something like this toll is really going to put a strain on these businesses. All those tourists and all the visitors that visit these restaurants and small businesses are simply going to go up the beach to Treasure Island. They’re going to go down to Terra Verde, and they’ll take their business elsewhere. I think this proposal is very shortsighted. It’s going to hurt our city,” said Scott Tate, a challenger to Petrila in the March election.

The item, presented by Mayor Petrila, was not on Monday’s city commission agenda. While commissioners did express concerns, the general consensus was to explore the project with a study to determine feasibility. Mayor Petrila did not respond to questions or comment on the proposal for this story.

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