Parks & Preserves Frequently Asked Questions

All County-governed parks and preserves are closed the day after Thanksgiving and Christmas Day. The exception is Fort De Soto Park, which is open all year, excluding shelter reservations.

Fishing regulations are enforced by Florida Wildlife Commission. Some County parks require a fishing license. Refer to each park’s web page for fishing license requirements.

Overnight parking for boat ramp use only is allowed at the boat ramps at Belleair Bridge, Park Boulevard Bridge, Sutherland Bayou and Fort De Soto Park. The proper fees must be paid and daily receipt or annual permit appropriately displayed. No overnight vehicle storage is allowed.

Yes.

All weddings require a permit even if you have a shelter reservation. This also includes gatherings at the County beach parks.

You can call the phone number on the back of the citation (727) 582-2100 with any questions or complaints. You will be asked to provide the citation number, license plate number of the vehicle, and the last four digits of the card used for the parking fee payment. The citation will be researched, and a response will be provided within 24-48 hours.

If the license plate number is not entered EXACTLY as it reads, the vehicle will be flagged for nonpayment. If this happens, please call (727)582-2100.

Helpful Tip: Always use the number 0 zero instead of the letter O when entering license plate characters. 

Citations can be paid online through the Clerk of the Circuit Court or by calling (727)464-7000.

Helpful Tip: Citations can take up to 3-5 business days to reflect on the Clerk of the Courts online payment page.

The implementation of mobile parking technology will enable patrons to have multiple options to pay parking fees using either the Flowbird mobile app, ParkMobile app, pay-by text, existing parking terminals or an annual pass.

There is a $0.35 cent convenience fee for submitting your payment using the app and/or pay-by-text option. There is no convenience fee for using the parking terminals  or annual pass

The implementation of mobile parking technology transitions Fort De Soto Park to a cashless system. The booth is no longer used to accept payments. Additional machines were relocated to Fort De Soto Park to increase their inventory of pay stations. The entry booth will be staffed for two weeks following the launch to assist providing directions to terminals and handouts with mobile app assistance.

Volunteers will need to provide Parks & Conservation Resources their license plate data in advance of their arrival for any volunteer projects.

Annual pass holders will not be impacted by mobile parking technology. Their license plate data will be uploaded daily. Decals will no longer be used for annual passes. There will be a 1 to 2 business day turnaround for new requests and renewals to be uploaded.

The Madeira Beach Access location/zone is configured for an hourly rate.

Those with state-issued disabled parking placard, registered disable license plate, or a Disabled Veterans plate, can park in any designated disabled parking space or any parking space free of charge. Annual pass holders license plate data is updated daily.

Several parking terminals are located at each location. Additional parking terminals were added to Fort De Soto throughout the park. Pay-by-text is also available. 

Registered campers must check in at the campground office to confirm or update their attending vehicle license data. Only one vehicle per campsite is allowed for complimentary entry to the park during park operation hours of 7 a.m. to sunset. This will ensure the attending vehicle’s license plate data is uploaded successfully into the pay-by-plate software daily.   

No, SunPass is valid for road tolls and not paid parking.

Parks:
Pets are welcome in most areas of the County parks with the exception of Fort De Soto Park Historic Fort, beaches, swimming areas, piers, boardwalks, picnic shelters, restrooms, beach showers, playgrounds or where food and drink are sold. Pets must be on an adequate leash not longer than 6 feet. Other exceptions are the County dog parks.

Preserves:
No pets, except horses accessing and using trails designated for horseback riding, are permitted in any environmental land.

You can find our dog park rules here.

Signage at all dog parks indicates aggressive dogs are not allowed. If it’s an emergency, call 9-1-1 or report the incident to Pinellas County Animal Services.

Dogs are not allowed on our beaches EXCEPT the dog beach at Fort De Soto Park. It is accessible by a path that runs along south side of the dog park or by walking through the dog park and exiting the gate at the southwest corner (small and large park both have exits to beach). The dogs can play on the beach without the confines of a leash, but pets need to be under voice control. The dog park at Fort De Soto has areas for small and large dogs to run leash-free in an area just less than three acres. For other dog parks within the county park system, please visit our dog park page.

The dog parks are closed several times a year for maintenance.

Yes. See: Ferry Service to Egmont Key

Yes. See: Rentals – Kayaks & Bikes

Yes. Concessions are provided by United Park Services.

Fort De Soto Park offers a paved 6.5-mile multipurpose trail (hiking, biking, inline skating) that can be accessed at various locations throughout the park.

Swimming is only permitted from the beach. Please check signs for lifeguard availability (seasonal).

Electric carts are allowed in the campground only. They are not permitted in other areas of the park. Gasoline-powered carts are not permitted within the campground or the park.

No. We do not provide fire rings at our campsites. We do permit small fires in the provided grills. Campfires are permitted in the campsites as long as you have the fire in a container. You can use a “cut off” 55–gallon drum or a portable fireplace that can be purchased at a home improvement store or department store. Camp rings are also available for rent or purchase at our camp store.

No. The camp store is privately owned and operated by our contracted vendor, United Park Services.

Area #1, sites 1-85, has only 20 amp and 30 amp service. Areas #2 and #3 have 20, 30, 50 amp service available on each site. Appropriate plugs are required for each with 20 amp using the standard household type plug. You will need to bring your own hose for the water hookup. We do not have television or full hookup sewer. We have two dump stations and seven restrooms in the campground.

There’s wireless service provided at no charge in and around our camp office. This service is brought to you by Pinellas County and the Friends of Fort De Soto Park.

We accept reservations by phone up to three months in advance. There is no charge. You may call (727) 582-2100 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday to Friday. It is very popular and is usually booked exactly three months in advance and can accommodate up to 90 people.

Yes, trailers smaller than 16 feet are permitted to camp in Area #1.

The water surrounding the campground is Mullet Key Bayou. We do NOT permit boats with internal combustible engines in the water to the eastern side of Area #1 or in the water between Areas #1 and #2. We DO permit boats with internal combustible engines in the bayou on the western side of Area #1. However, please be advised that the water on the western side of Area #1 is very shallow.

You must launch your boat at the boat ramp that is close to the entrance of the park. Parking is $6 daily for boat trailer parking and $5 for vehicle parking. Annual parking permits are available. The water to the eastern side of Area #3 is the boat channel. If you are camping on the eastern side of Area #3 you can tie your boat off the seawall in front of your site. We also permit patrons to tie their boats in the boat channel just behind the parking lot and camp store no matter where you are camping in the campground.

Canoes and kayaks are permitted in all waters around the campground.

Yes! For information see opportunities available.

No. It’s a simple process. Contact Pinellas County Volunteer Services for information. They are in downtown Clearwater at the Courthouse Annex, 400 S. Fort Harrison Ave., Annex Building, Room 121, Clearwater, Florida 33756. Ph: (727) 464-8477 / TDD: (727) 464-4063. Volunteer Application Form

Yes. Donations can be made by making your check payable to Pinellas County BOCC and sending it to Attention: Finance Manager, PCR, 12520 Ulmerton Road, Largo, Fl  33774. We do not permit memorials of any kind. Questions regarding monetary donations can be sent through our contact form or by calling (727) 582-2100 and selecting 2 from the phone menu.

Our staff is here to serve and appreciates your feedback. Use our contact form or send your comments by mail to Pinellas County Parks & Conservation Department at 12520 Ulmerton Road, Largo, FL  33774