- November 23, 2024
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Come January 2025, visitors to Volusia County beaches will have to pay to park in off-beach lots.
The Volusia County Council awarded a $1.5 million contract to PCI Municipal Services, LLC, on Tuesday, July 16, for automated paid parking services for a 5-year term. Starting next year, visitors will need to pay $20 for an off-beach parking day pass or $100 for an annual pass to park at Volusia County's coastal parks and approaches, based on a new ordinance also unanimously approved by the council at the meeting. The county estimates this will bring in about $6 million in revenue.
Residents and Volusia County property owners and college students will continue to be able to utilize the lots for free.
"This is part one," Volusia County Councilman Troy Kent said. "Part two should be at our next meeting where we will get our residents on their beach, driving at no extra charge. And that, is in my opinion, the most impactful, biggest change — positive change — in Volusia County on our beaches in 36 years."
Since being elected in 2022, Kent has been pushing to eliminate beach toll costs for residents. A similar push by County Council Chair Jeff Brower happened in 2021, but was unsuccessful. Both men have argued that charging residents to drive on the beach is making them pay "twice," as the county already collects tax dollars for the beach's management.
An ordinance on vehicular beach access fees was originally on the agenda for the July 16 meeting, but it was continued to the council's Aug. 6 meeting.
The ordinance creating off-beach parking fees for visitors came after the council gave staff direction in March to pursue the implementation of fees, as well as enforcement policies. While the ordinance will go into effect on Oct. 1, fees would not be charged until Jan. 1 once all off-beach parking lots are equipped with signage and kiosks, where necessary. The county is also looking to add fixed license plate reader cameras to confirm those parked have either paid or are residents.
Visitors will be able to pay via an app, text-to-Pay, NFT payments and kiosks, to be added on the larger off-beach lots.
Residents will need to register their vehicles to receive their free annual pass. Residents may register multiple vehicles.
Those who do not pay to park in the off-beach lots will be charged $50, to be paid within 14 days. The penalty will increase to $100 after 14 days.
The paid parking program, according to the county, "allows for flexibility if the county chooses to add or subtract properties from the paid parking program," according to the agenda item.
Brower said the program will help to cover the cost to maintain the beach, and will do so not on residents' dime.
"The word free is really a misnomer here," Brower said. "Our own residents are paying for the beach already and so this will not be a second charge to them."
