Residents press commission on beach access, overnight camping and nourishment questions

Several residents used the July 9 public comment period to press the City Commission to address recurring overnight camping, people living in vehicles at beach access points and noise from generators.

Adrian Doss told commissioners he had called the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office on May 27 after two women and a dog were living out of a vehicle at the 21st Street beach access for multiple days. “It was 5 days, four nights … the sheriffs literally had to call the tow truck to remove them because their car was broken down and they were camping out the parking lot,” Doss said, and urged the commission to readdress overnight parking enforcement.

Another resident described a broader pattern of overnight campers running generators and asked the commission to restore or re‑examine the city’s prior overnight‑parking signage and enforcement. The commission’s August meeting package will include information on parking spaces and a planned work session to consider paid parking and overnight enforcement options.

A different public commenter raised legal context for beach nourishment, saying recent Supreme Court commentary on the Chevron doctrine supports rethinking how federal and state rules apply to local nourishment projects. The speaker said county presentations had warned of fiscal impacts to the county if it proceeded with nourishment, a point the speaker attributed to a county meeting.

Mayor Denise Hurg and staff responded that the commission will schedule a separate session to discuss litigation and policy options related to short‑term rentals and other legal matters arising from state action; staff also asked residents to participate in the August discussion on parking.

The exchange included requests for staff follow‑up on overnight‑parking signage and clearer enforcement options rather than immediate policy changes.