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ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Families flocked to Ft. De Soto Park on Monday with their four-legged friends as the dog beach and fishing piers reopened for the first time in more than three months.
Back-to-back hurricanes ripped through the area. As the park gets in shape, some spots still need work. The boat ramp, causeway, east beach and area 3 of the campground are open at Ft. De Soto Park. They are still working to reopen two other campground areas.
On Monday, paw prints covered Ft. De Soto’s sandy dog beach for the first time since Hurricane Helene. It reopened just in time for snowbird Sly McDonald and his dog Ida to stop by while on vacation.
“Everywhere we go we try to find a beach. Somedays we do three beaches in the same day,” McDonald said.
McDonald said Ida loves chasing her frisbee up and down the sandy shore but believes the trips can get expensive. This year, Pinellas County is increasing its daily rate to six dollars and keeping annual passes the same.
Six bucks for me as a Canadian is nine bucks because of the exchange. So, it’s like a ten-dollar beach day,” McDonald said.
Spencer Curtis with the county said this is the first time in more than ten years that they’ve changed the daily rate. This goes for county parks, beach access points and boat ramps.
Curtis said this was included in the 2025 fiscal budget and it’s cheaper than many nearby beaches.
“So, when you’re looking at how our department is funded, the fees that we bring in are returned back into the county and that helps offset our operating budget,” Curtis said.
Michael Pomatto said he understands.
“I think with all the devastation and destruction that we’ve had here I think it’s really good to help out,” Pomatto said.
Many know him as Florida Mike from social media who finds lost treasures at the beach.
“I returned hundreds of pieces over the years. It’s my passion. I like to give back,” Pomatto said.
And that includes giving back to the community.
Pinellas County said it generated almost five million dollars in parking fee revenue in the last fiscal year. It said there are discounts for current and former members of the military ($55/year), people 65 years of age and over ($55/year) and people with limited incomes ($37.50). Annual parking fees are free for disabled veterans.
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