It's a sight that's replayed daily, depending on the weather, on the Suncoast beaches. The blazing sunset is an integral part of the Pinellas County beach experience - one that continues to lure and intoxicate visitors as they stand at the lapping shores. The challenge is finding the best place to go and not shell out tourist-inflated dollars to enjoy this spectacular natural meeting of land and water. Both have a nasty way of messing up the quest for a relaxing Gulf of Mexico excursion.
Most beach parks have parking meters, requiring the constant feeding of quarters.
If it's any comfort, this isn't the doing of Pinellas County. Park director Joseph Lapardus explains that because the county has purchased so much prime real estate along the coast, the individual beach towns are losing revenue. So the small cities install and maintain parking meters to recoup some of their lost tax money. That's why the parking fees vary so widely at each beach access parking lot. If you snag a spot on the street, the meter rate is 25 cents for 20 minutes.