From May 8–10, the DIXON team visited St. Pete Beach to conduct an operational needs assessment as part of the City’s Comprehensive Parking Management Study. The site visit included three stakeholder sessions: a municipal session that dived into current parking operations and enforcement strategies; a community meeting to gather input and ideas from residents; and a parking discussion with the local business community to understand commercial parking needs and challenges.

Julie Dixon and Jennifer Liu joined Parking Enforcement Officers for two ride-alongs across the City, concentrating on on-street and off-street parking areas in Pass-a-Grille, Upham Beach, and County Beach Access locations. Accompanied by frontline staff with a long-time resident perspective, they assessed paid parking systems, wayfinding and signage, citation processes, enforcement technologies, and standard operating procedures to identify areas for improvement. The DIXON team also visited local businesses to speak directly with several restaurant, hotel, and retail owners about employee and customer parking needs, collecting valuable suggestions and firsthand experiences.

The DIXON team is grateful to the City of St. Pete Beach for the warm welcome and productive collaboration. We look forward to sharing initial recommendations with the community this summer and developing a Parking Action Plan for the community.