TARPON SPRINGS — Non-residents will soon pay $5 a day to park at Sunset Beach under a fee schedule that passed on first reading April 28, but commissioners spared the Splash Park after an impassioned plea from Mayor John Koulianos.
The board voted 3-2 to charge non-residents at Sunset Beach, with Koulianos and Vice Mayor Panagiotis Koulias dissenting. A separate proposal to charge non-residents at the Splash Park failed 4-1, with only Commissioner Michael Eisner in favor.
Public Services Assistant Director Jamie Taylor told commissioners staff drafted the ordinance at their direction. The limited non-resident paid parking program, he said, will increase access for residents at Sunset Beach and the Splash Park while generating revenue for Parks and Recreation capital improvement projects.
Staff projected the pilot program could raise $240,000 to $650,000 a year. Taylor said the range depends on the average number of people per vehicle, the compliance rate and how the fee affects visitation.
Residents will receive a parking permit sticker for each vehicle, and staff will record license plate numbers to verify residency. Registration will be available on-site at the park and at the Community Center. An annual pass would cost $50. The fine for non-compliance is $25, which aligns with the Pinellas County code. Non-residents will pay the daily fee online or through the ParkMobile app, Taylor said.
Sunset Beach drew 291,000 visitors in 2025, 75% of them non-residents, Taylor said. The Splash Park drew 101,000 visitors last year, with 77,000 non-residents. By comparison, Pinellas County charges $6 a day and $75 a year to park at Fred Howard Park.
Koulianos asked that the ordinance be split into two motions.
On the Sunset Beach fee, Commissioner Lori Weaver said many municipalities are moving in that direction. “Our taxpayers are paying for the maintenance and the upkeep of these facilities, and I think it should benefit them whenever we can,” she said. She raised concerns about enforcement but said she would support the additional revenue.
Commissioner David Banther said Sunset Beach is primarily for residents, not tourists, and said he was glad parking would remain free for them. He criticized a jet ski club whose members back trailers up to the gate, he said, blocking families from parking and enjoying the beach.
Koulias said he could not support the Sunset Beach fee and suggested cutting the annual pass to $20 or $25 and the daily rate to $2.50 or $3.
“There are families out there, young families, or people who are less fortunate. Five dollars a pop is a lot of money,” he said, particularly for parents in their 20s. “I just want to take a soft approach to get people to buy in to the program.”
The motion passed anyway.
Then Koulianos made his case against charging at the Splash Park.
“I’m not in favor of any charge for the Splash Park. Call me a softy, or whatever you want, but I think the kids that are utilizing Splash Park are more likely not to have swimming pools at home,” he said.
“When it comes to kids, I don’t care if they come from Holiday or they come from Tarpon Springs, they’re coming to that Splash Park and it’s a big deal to them. If you charge their parents, and they can’t bring their kids because they can’t afford that extra money. … These aren’t rich kids with big swimming pools and slides and everything at home. These are kids that this is a special deal for them. I don’t want to make money on them, and I want those kids to go to that park and enjoy it. I don’t care where they’re coming from. They’re kids.”
Weaver responded first. “Well, when you put it that way,” she said, drawing chuckles from the board. She said she agreed, noting the Splash Park and adjacent Dog Park are not overcrowded.
Banther told the mayor he made a valid point.
Eisner, the lone vote for the fee, called the Splash Park “the perfect place for rule breaking” and said revenue could pay for supervision. He suggested a reduced charge.
Koulias told Koulianos he had done “a great job tugging on our heart strings.”