Changes coming to beach and boat ramp parking
September 4, 2021 - Beginning in October, Pinellas boaters and beach-goers will have to make sure they bring their credit cards. On Friday, Pinellas Parks and Conservation Resources announced that parking terminals will transition to accept credit card payments only. The terminals will also require the corresponding vehicle’s tag number to be entered. As part of the update, parking terminal modems will also upgrade to 4G-LTE. The department said in a statement that the move “will improve communications reliability and provide faster transaction speeds.” Parking terminals are located at Fort Desoto, Sand Key Park, and Fred Howard Beach access locations, all county boat ramps, and the Sutherland Bayou, Belleair, and Park Blvd. ramps. Upgrades are scheduled for Oct. 4 through Nov. 1.