Palm Beach County residents and visitors have long enjoyed free parking and countless hours of fun in the sun at its beaches. Outrage at a plan to make them pay starting this fall has led thousands to sign an online petition to block the change.
Only two county beaches — R.G. Kreusler Park in Palm Beach and South Inlet Park in Boca Raton — charge parking fees now, but all county park beaches would do so under a plan proposed for the upcoming year’s budget.
The proposed fee is $4 an hour — $3.20 for residents — but commissioners will weigh different options as they build their next budget. The petition against them had garnered more than 3,000 signatures as of July 14.
Many of the beaches that would start charging parking fees under the proposed plan are clustered in north county: Carlin, Jupiter Beach and Dubois parks in Jupiter; Coral Cove Park in Tequesta; Juno Beach, Loggerhead and Ocean Cay parks in Juno Beach.
Others include Phil Foster Park in Riviera Beach; Ocean Inlet and Ocean Ridge Hammock parks near Boynton Beach; and Gulfstream Park near Delray Beach.
Palm Beach County commissioners have questions about the plan and will take a closer look as budget talks wrap up ahead of September public hearings. At least one has shown interest in hearing alternatives to charging people to park at beaches.
The fees are expected to generate about $7.5 million in revenue, but Commissioner Joel Flores said administrators can find the same amount through budget reductions and “efficiencies within the constitutional officers’ budgets.”
”Our public beaches are one of Palm Beach County’s greatest assets, and they should remain accessible and affordable for everyone,” Flores, who represents central county communities from Greenacres to Lake Worth, wrote in a prepared statement.
“I do not support expanding paid beach parking as a way to balance our budget. … Our beaches belong to the public. They should not become less accessible because we failed to demand the same level of fiscal responsibility across all areas of county government.”
What’s in the beach parking fees petition?
The petition, which started on July 11 and is available online at Change.org, focuses on the six county beaches in Jupiter and Juno Beach. It says the fees would threaten beach accessibility and place a burden on taxpayers.
“Imposing parking fees would only serve to penalize the very people who cherish and protect these natural havens,” reads the petition. “Accessibility should remain a priority so all residents, irrespective of income level, can continue to benefit from these shared spaces without the hindrance of added costs.”
The petition also calls the start-up costs into question, saying the county could spend thousands of dollars on parking meters and enforcement.
If the county starts charging fees for parking at its beaches, it would use the ParkMobile payment service, according to Paul Connell, deputy director of the county’s parks and recreation department.
ParkMobile directs people to download an app, scan a code or send a text to pay for parking on their phone. It would cover the cost of signs at beaches and charge beachgoers a fixed transaction fee of $0.35, Connell said.
The attendance at the two county beaches which already charge for parking has remained high despite their fees, said Jennifer Cirillo, director of the county’s Parks and Recreation Department.
Cirillo said her team cut more than $4 million from its budget for the upcoming fiscal year. The revenue from beach parking fees would balance the overall property tax budget, she said, adding that her department is “working through the scenarios.
Maya Washburn is a Trending News Reporter for The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida-Network. Reach her at mwashburn@pbpost.com. Support local journalism: Subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Online petition fights county plan to charge for parking at beach lots
Reporting by Maya Washburn, Palm Beach Post / Palm Beach Post
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Maya Washburn, Palm Beach Post | USA TODAY Network
