North Beach at Fort Desoto Park, with Shell Key in the background.
It’s looking like user fees are coming to Fort Desoto County Park. In the face of declining tax revenues Pinellas County is having a hard time keeping the park open and staffed, so they are going to be asking those of us who use the park to chip in a little extra. Extra, meaning above and beyond the property taxes we already pay to support the park.
Naturally this idea of charging rubs a lot of people the wrong way. Though many support the fees in general, some comments on the Friends of Fort Desoto Park Facebook page and comments to an article about the proposed fees on the St. Pete Times web site are highly critical of the move. They (the commenters) charge that the fees will:
- Make it harder for low-income people to enjoy the park
- Be an unnecessary or unfair burden on residents who already pay property taxes
- Make the park and our area less attractive to visitors
A number of commenters claim that they will simply stop going to the park.
While these reactions are predictable, I think the facts don’t support any of those assertions. Nor do they support the concern that a significant number of people will stop visiting the park.
There are very few beach parks with free access between the Tampa Bay area and Marco Island. I grew up going to the beaches of Anna Maria where beach access is free, so when I moved to St. Petersburg in 2002 I had to get used to having to pay to park at the beach. When I wrote my beach guidebook I discovered that Manatee and Sarasota counties are, for the most part, the only counties on the lower gulf coast that still provide free beach parking/access. State park beaches have always charged an access fee. National Wildlife Refuges (like Ding Darling on Sanibel) also charge access fees.
Weekends at Fort Desoto can bring in some serious crowds. Fort Desoto is one of the few beaches in Pinellas County with lifeguards.
A family enjoys riding bikes along the paved bike trail at Fort Desoto County Park.
Will a $5 per car fee make it harder for low-income individuals and families to go to the park? Currently proposed is a discount for low-income people. Sounds fair to me and seems to address the needs of that group.
Will a fee be an unfair burden on residents? Here is a partial list of Pinellas County beaches that already charge for parking (which can easily reach or exceed $5):
- Pass-a-grille beach
- St. Pete Beach
- Upham Beach
- Sunset Beach
- St Pete Municipal Beach on Treasure Island
- Madeira Beach
- Redington Shores at 182nd Ave
- Indian Shores Tiki Gardens
- Indian Rocks Beach at 17th Ave (across from Guppy’s)
- Sand Key Park (meters)
- Clearwater Beach
- Honeymoon Island
Visitors have paid fees for access and/or parking at the above beaches for years. We’re used to it so we don’t complain much about it.
Compare what you get at the above beaches with what Fort Desoto offers. Think of all the work required to keep Fort Desoto Park clean and in good repair. Fort Desoto offers:
- Paved off-road trails for walking, skating and biking
- Bike rentals
- Kayak rentals and backwater paddling
- Excellent picnic facilities with clean restrooms and nice shelters
- Lifeguards
- Dog park and dog beach
- Two fishing piers
- Excellent campground
- One of the nation’s top locations for birding
- Top location for bird and wildlife photographers
- Pier and beach fishing
- Windsurfing and kiteboarding location
- All types of events from kayak symposia to sailing events & historical re-enactments
- A cool fort!
- Museum
- Lots of parking
- Hiking trails
- Ferry to Egmont Key
- Shelling
- Beautiful beaches
- Popular spot for wedding ceremonies
- National recognition as one of the Nation’s top beaches
I’m sure I left out a lot of things. No other beach park in the area offers so many things to so many people (2.7 million visitors each year).
Sailors gather for a racing event at Fort Desoto's East Beach.
The bay fishing pier on Fort Desoto park is a great place to watch dolphins.
Visitors from other states and other countries are accustomed to paying for parks and attractions in Florida. Clearwater Beach parking can cost up to $12.50 per day, but that doesn’t stop it from being one of the most crowded and congested beaches in the area. People recognize value when they see it. Even though some local residents might take Fort Desoto Park for granted, our visitors do see the value and I believe will gladly part with $5 to enter the park.
When the entry fees go into effect I’ll be one of the first in line to purchase an annual pass.
I hope that soon the park will have enough personnel to enforce the “no dogs on the beach” rule and keep people off the sensitive dunes and out of bird nesting areas. Fort Desoto provides one of the best dog beaches in the state, so there’s no need to bring the dogs onto the “people beaches.”
Fort Desoto Park offers one of the best dog beaches in the state of Florida.
And, if you’re one of those people who prefers to go to a free beach, here are some helpful suggestions:
- Treasure Island Beach Access at 104th Ave
- Redington Beach on-street parking (public walkways to the beach)
- Indian Rocks street-end accesses
- Caladesi Causeway
- Fred Howard Park
- Go south to Anna Maria / Longboat Key/Lido Key/Siesta Key/Casey Key/Manasota Key
North Beach snack bar at Fort Desoto Park.
A quiet morning at the North Beach picnic area on the beach.
A kayaker launches near North Beach at Fort Desoto Park.
Photographing birds at Fort Desoto Park.
Two of my favorite beach travel authors, Parke Puterbaugh and Alan Bisbort–writing in their guidebook to Florida beaches–say this about the park: “They call Fort Desoto a county park, but it is larger than some counties and feels more like a miniature Cape Cod or Outer Banks.”
Casting a line into Bunces Pass with the Skyway Bridge as a backdrop in Fort Desoto Park.
Piping plovers depend on Fort Desoto beaches for nesting.
Nearly 3 million people visit Fort Desoto Park each year.
The view from atop the Fort.
Camping on the water at Fort Desoto Park campground.
Think they'll pay $5 to come see the birds? Yep.
Traffic backed up on the Pinellas Bayway waiting to get to the beach. Many of them are going to Fort Desoto where they'll wait in line again at the toll booth.
Cathy Salustri, writing on her blog, Hard Candy, offers her feelings about Fort Desoto Park and its beautiful beaches and nature:
If I believed in church, Fort DeSoto would be mine. A walk on the east beach clears my head; hiking the trails north of the Arrowhead picnic area refreshes my soul. It is the place where I go to, as Buffett said, to count all my blessings and remember my dreams. I’ve walked countless miles on its beaches, mending a broken heart or meditating on a life change.
And:
I love Fort DeSoto on Tuesday mornings the most. Nobody’s there. The beaches are clean and the wind is the loudest thing I hear. The hush over the park is not unlike the quiet I remember from church as a little girl.
Think of the $5 as a tithe or offering to the spirit of one of the best parks in Florida.
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