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Public EV charging stations to be decommissioned June 1 to save on operational costs

Pinellas County will discontinue use of its public electric vehicle (EV) charging stations on June 1, 2026.  

Background 

The County’s publicly available EV charging stations were originally installed through Duke Energy’s Park & Plug program at no cost to the County except for electricity usage. When the program ended in 2023, ownership of the chargers transferred to Pinellas County, which then became responsible for all maintenance and operational expenses.  

Many of the stations are now nearing the end of their service life, and the total cost to operate and maintain them is about $56,600 per year. During the Board of County Commissioners meeting on March 5, 2026, the board reviewed these factors and decided to discontinue the County’s public EV charging services. 

EV charging stations scheduled for decommissioning on June 1, 2026: 

  • Fort De Soto Park (Beach Parking).  
  • Sand Key Park (Beach Parking). 
  • Florida Botanical Gardens. 
  • Palm Harbor Library. 
  • Pinellas County Courthouse (315 Court St., Clearwater). 
  • Pinellas County Justice Center (14250 49th St. N., Clearwater). 
  • St. Petersburg Judicial Building (545 1st Ave. N., St. Petersburg). 

To locate alternate charging stations, drivers may want to check commercially available apps. They include ChargePoint, PlugShare, Electrify America, and EVgo, available in the App Store and Google Play. 

Plans for the physical removal of the charging stations will be determined later. 

For questions about the process for decommissioning the County’s public EV charging stations, contact Kim McDaniel, Pinellas County Energy & Water Resources Program Coordinator, at kmcdaniel@pinellas.gov.