Indian Rocks Beach heads into second city council meeting over paid beach parking spots

Final vote on paid parking pilot program

Pinellas County is holding a final vote on the parking situation on Indian Rocks Beach. FOX 13's Heather Healy reports.

INDIAN ROCKS BEACH, Fla. - The second Indian Rocks Beach city council meeting on Tuesday night over paid beach parking is highly anticipated, and if it gets approved, they will move forward with a significant change.

Here is the breakdown of the proposed plan and how it affects both visitors and locals.

The city is looking to monetize its shoreline by converting all 182 beach access parking spaces into paid spots. Under the new ordinance:

• Parking will cost $4.50 per hour.
• The city plans to partner with ParkMobile and other digital parking platforms to manage payments via smartphone.

The commission is currently unified on this front. During the initial meeting last month, leaders voted 5-0 in favor of the transition.

The city has confirmed that residents will still park for free, provided they have a valid window decal displayed on their vehicle.

City leaders estimate that the paid parking pilot program is expected to raise around $100,000.

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What they're saying:

According to Mayor Denise Houseberg, these funds are vital for the city’s recovery efforts following recent storms.

"We run on a pretty lean budget, so any extra dollars we can get to continue repairing the city after the hurricane is great news," Mayor Houseberg said.

If violators do not pay, there will be a $100 fine.