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St. Pete Beach leaders approve parking rate increase in first reading, but makes changes to recommendations

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Updated  March 24, 2026 11:05pm EDT
St. Petersburg
FOX 13 News
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The Brief

    • The St. Pete Beach City Commission discussed increasing parking rates, raising prices to $5 per hour Monday–Thursday and $6 per hour Friday–Sunday, up at least $1 per hour.
    • Officials decided not to approve additional surcharges, including a $1 "sunset rate" from 4–8 p.m.
    • The city currently brings in about $5.5 million annually from metered parking, and officials say the proposed changes could generate nearly $2 million more each year, though some worry about the rising cost for beach visitors.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - On Tuesday, the St. Pete Beach City Commission addressed temporary parking and increasing the parking rates by at least a dollar an hour.

The backstory:

The increase would mean that all paid parking spaces would increase, making parking $5 per hour from Monday through Thursday and $6 per hour Friday through Sunday. 

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They also decided to create a seasonal rate, which is an extra $1.00, from February through the end of April. 

However, they decided to amend the recommendations and not include the sunset rate, which would have added an extra $1 between 4:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.

This could bring in nearly $2 million more dollars per year for the city.

What's next:

This was only the first reading, so it hasn't fully passed yet.

They will have a second vote at a later date. 

The Source: Sources for this web article were gathered from the City Commission Meeting Agenda Report as well as St. Pete Beach’s website.

St. Petersburg