Naples City Council raises the cost of parking visitors on the beach to $4 per hour

NAPLES, Florida. Get ready to pay more for parking on the beach in Naples. On Monday, the City Council voted unanimously to raise rates for all visitor parking. Now you have to pay $4 an hour instead of $3.

In October 2023, the price will rise to $5. The decision caused mixed feelings among visitors and residents alike.

“I don’t think they should ever lift anything, but they’re going to do what they’re going to do,” said Doug Gilmour visiting his brother.

Doug believes that inflation is the driving factor, but does not believe that its increase will affect visitors. His brother says he feels the same way.

“You can pay three dollars, four dollars – it won’t make a big difference and I’m sure they can use the income,” said Don Gilmour, who visits his home in Naples during the season.

While they don’t see it as a problem, others see it differently.

“I mean, I think if you’re paying $1,000 a night to stay in a hotel, another $10 won’t kill you,” said Joe Gagliardi, who lives in Naples. “They have to raise some money, but it seems a little high.”

The rate was set at $4 an hour on the city council’s agenda until council member Beth Petrunoff proposed raising it even higher.

“Maybe we’re leaving $5 on the table, and that could possibly fund an extra code enforcement officer or someone to pick up trash more often,” she explained Monday afternoon. “And if they’re in Martha’s Vineyard or Nantucket, or it’s a different price point, Greenwich, Connecticut, they’re used to paying like that.”

Collectively, the Naples City Council says the price increase is due to inflation, staffing, increased spending and eventually the beach being fully reopened.

Along with the increase in parking spaces, the City Council approved the continuation of the pilot program. Currently, only two guest sites have the PayByPhone option, while there is only a pay station everywhere. The program was launched in August 2022, but the city was unable to evaluate it due to Yang.

The contract with PayByPhone will not only be extended for a year, but the system will be installed in all guest parking lots. Prior to Jan, the city council claimed that 15% of people used it in Loudermilk Park.

Another pilot program is running continuously. In 2021, the “stickers only” program was launched. Residents of Naples and Collier County can get a beach sticker and park in certain areas where visitors are not allowed to park. The city council also voted to make the program permanent.

City manager Gary Young says the rate hike will go into effect “at the first practical time we can make it happen.”