Officials outline beach operations budget; residents press for tram stops and parking strategy

Devin opened the beach-operations portion of the FY2027 presentation, stating the department’s request of $13,000,000 and listing line items that include $600,000 for infrastructure tied to the 38 Gateway project, $1,300,000 for machinery and seven proposed positions. "The f y 27 budget request for beach operation is $13,000,000 this year," Devin told commissioners.

Public speakers praised beach operations and urged steps to increase tram ridership and connectivity. One resident said an email about excessive trash was handled by staff overnight and urged more marketing for the tram. "They are beautiful vehicles... The key is marketing," a public commenter said, urging additional stops to Seaside/WaterColor that would not add cost. County staff explained a modified routing after temporary state-park restrictions and loss of a public beach access, and said the long-term plan is to provide a mix of short- and long-range shuttles to cover Scenic 30A. On parking, residents cited acquisition costs for several county-owned lots and proposed a multistory parking structure financed by paid-parking revenue and/or shifting funds. Staff said existing paid-parking pilot sites (Great Beach, 283 and 393 lots) were designed to accommodate future parking structures and that the county is monitoring utilization before expanding infrastructure.

No formal votes were held; staff and commissioners signaled continued evaluation of tram routing, parking utilization and potential infrastructure solutions.