Palm Beach County residents can breathe easy — free beach parking isn’t going anywhere.
County commissioners on Tuesday unanimously backed Commissioner Maria G. Marino’s effort to shut down any proposal that would make residents pay to park at county-owned beaches and parks where parking has traditionally been free.
The move reverses momentum behind a budget proposal that would have expanded paid parking from just two county beach parks to all 14. As first reported by Palm Beach Buzz, the plan called for parking fees of about $4 an hour and was expected to generate roughly $7.5 million annually to help balance the county’s budget without raising property taxes.
Instead, County Administrator Joseph Abruzzo told commissioners that staff can implement a free annual beach parking pass, ensuring Palm Beach County residents continue to park at county beach locations at no cost.
Marino also directed staff to stop studying resident parking fees while continuing to explore whether non-residents should help shoulder the cost of maintaining the county’s beach parks. Under that approach, visitors from outside Palm Beach County could eventually be required to pay for parking, while residents would continue to park free.
Any change affecting non-resident parking would still require approval from the Board of County Commissioners.
The now-abandoned proposal would have expanded paid parking to Coral Cove Park, Dubois Park, Jupiter Beach Park, Carlin Park, Ocean Cay Park, Juno Beach Park, Loggerhead Park, Ocean Reef Park, Phil Foster Park, Ocean Inlet Park, Ocean Ridge Hammock Park and Gulfstream Park.
For now, locals can keep enjoying one of Palm Beach County’s biggest perks without reaching for their wallets.
