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Howard Park causeway could get entry fee

Mark Schantz/SUNCOAST

The causeway leading to the beach at Fred Howard Park has been closed while the mile-long roadway’s bridges are being replaced. Pinellas County commissioners will consider a proposal to institute an entrance fee for the causeway next month.

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By Mark  Schantz | The Suncoast News

Published: June 26, 2009

Updated:

TARPON SPRINGS - When the causeway in Fred Howard Park reopens at the end of the year, beachgoers may have to pay a fee to use it.

City officials were surprised to learn that the county might impose a causeway access fee. The gulf-front park, which draws roughly 2 million visitors a year, is one of the city's biggest tourist attractions, Tarpon Springs officials say.

The county might impose a Howard Park causeway fee because it needs additional revenue during a tight budget year, said Paul Cozzie, Pinellas cultural affairs, education and leisure services director. Visitors to other county beach areas find parking meters await them, Cozzie said.

On Tuesday, July 14, the County Commission will decide whether to charge a $5 per car entry fee at Fred Howard Park Beach and Fort DeSoto Park. There will be no charge to enter the park.

Two replacement bridges have been successfully constructed along the mile-long causeway leading to the Howard Park beach. Additional work is being completed and the 100-acre beach area is scheduled to reopen at the end of the year.

If approved, the Howard Park causeway fee, Cozzie noted, would be less expensive than the admission price for Honeymoon Island State Park. The Florida Park Service will raise its fee to gain entry to Honeymoon Island from $5 to $8 on July 1.

Tarpon Springs City Manager Mark LeCouris said the county has not officially informed the city of the possible Howard Park causeway fee.

He can understand county officials are looking for ways to defray costs by raising additional revenue, LeCouris said. A causeway access fee, however, would have a negative financial impact on city residents and anyone else who visits the Howard Park beach, LeCouris said.

"People are not going to be happy about this," he said.

Some people who travel on the causeway don't even use the beach but rather just go out there to watch the sunset, the city manager added.

A causeway fee would likely mean the overflow crowds that have flocked to the city's nearby Sunset Beach since the Howard Park causeway was closed for the bridge replacement project would continue, LeCouris said.

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