No more free beach parking

TREASURE ISLAND - Pinellas County's beach access parking lot on Treasure Island offers a rare amenity: free parking. But it's about to come to an end.

The lot was owned by the county, but it is about to give it to the city of Treasure Island.

"This is the only free public lot actually on Treasure Island, probably up and down the Gulf beaches," says Treasure Island Parks and Recreation director Cathy Hayduke.

But last year the city, which owns half of the parking lot, asked the county whether it could install parking meters. The discussions that followed led to an agreement to deed all of the land over to the city.

That saves the county about $45,000 a year in maintenance costs.

"It's got bathrooms and showers and changing rooms and then every 10 years you have to re-surface it," explains Pinellas real estate administrator James Meloy.

"The city's right here, we have staff in house that can do the property, maintain the bathrooms, the city will be metering the lots to offset some of the costs," Hayduke points out.

Most beachgoers do not know parking meters are on the way. Most reacted unhappily.

"I guess we'll just not come or go somewhere else" Jones says, "I'm not going to pay to park- I'll find somewhere I don't have to - simple as that."

Bill Reia already has another game plan. "I hate it- I'll just park across the street over there like I do when it gets filled up here anyway- They ain't going to put no meters over that way."

The county has already deeded the land over to the city, which will take control of the lot next week. Parking pay stations will probably not be installed until August or September.