Pinellas County's SunRunner rapid bus service has been moving passengers from downtown St. Petersburg to St. Pete Beach for free since its inception late last year.
But that is changing earlier than expected.
The Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority Board voted 12-2 on Wednesday to start charging their standard fare of $2.25 for a ride on the Sun Runner starting Oct. 1, a month earlier than planned. Those eligible for reduced fare will pay $1.10.
The change comes as the transit agency and sheriff's office say they have received an increase in complaints about some of the county's homeless population using it to ride to the beach and causing issues.
"We started getting complaints about people sleeping on the beach, we're getting complaints from families,” Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri said. “This is not OK, that as you're walking down the beach access, and there are showers there where you can rinse off your feet when you come off the sand. [They’re] saying that there's people there naked, urinating and defecating when they're trying to take their kids on and off the beach. That's not OK. It was a huge quality of life issue, a huge public safety issue."
An increase in calls for service
According to statistics from the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office, calls for service increased by 535% at the Dolphin Village Shopping Center, from 20 calls for service in 2022 to 127 so far in 2023.
Meanwhile, calls for service increased by 384% at the St. Pete Beach Public Access, from 31 calls for service in 2022 to 150 in 2023.
“This isn't about homelessness. This isn't about the people that need and want services. These aren't people that are in shelters ... All this is about is a discreet group of people. It's causing a major problem in this community, and we have to solve it.”Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri
Gualtieri emphasized that the issue is being caused by a small number of the homeless population.
“This isn't about homelessness,” Gualtieri said. “This isn't about the people that need and want services. These aren't people that are in shelters ... All this is about is a discreet group of people. It's causing a major problem in this community, and we have to solve it.”
Gualtieri said is agency is spending about $10,000 per week trying to curb the issues along St. Pete Beach.
St. Pete Beach City Manager Alex Rey said businesses in the community, such as hotels, were complaining that tourists felt uncomfortable when the homeless individuals were “very aggressive when they coming in and asking for donations.”
“Yes, it was a good idea [to make the fare free],” Rey said. “But the idea sometimes has to evolve.”
The fare can only be paid through contactless payments, like a credit or debit card, and not with cash.
A call against ending the free fares
Opponents against the implementation of the early fare say this will open up the transit agency to lawsuits since they believe it's discriminatory and limits access for a specific population.
“This targeted cashless fee that also discriminates against those without a bank, targets a specific group, and restricts their intrastate travel as protected in our Florida constitution,” said Rev. Andy Oliver of Allendale United Methodist Church. “I've talked to lawyers and they are chomping at the bit to sue over this rate hike.”
"If we really are concerned about the homeless, about those who are struggling with mental illness, and those who just simply have bad intentions, then that is where we need to be focusing our energy and our resources. The free fares, I don't see it changing anything.”Board Chair and St. Petersburg City Council Member Gina Driscoll
Board Chair and St. Petersburg City Council Member Gina Driscoll was one of two "no" votes on installing the early fare.
"I don't think we need to take a sledgehammer to something that could be fixed with a scalpel,” Driscoll said. “If we really are concerned about the homeless, about those who are struggling with mental illness, and those who just simply have bad intentions, then that is where we need to be focusing our energy and our resources. The free fares, I don't see it changing anything.”
Board member Vince Cocks was the other no-vote.
As part of the vote, the board also agreed to have the transit authority meet with both the sheriff’s office and other organizations throughout the county to determine the best long-term plan for public transportation for the region’s homeless population.
Gualtieri said when the fare is installed, he’ll pull the extra patrols and use data to determine how effective it is in curbing issues in St. Pete Beach.
In a letter sent to PSTA CEO Brad Miller earlier this week, St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch opposed imposing a fare on the SunRunner, and said he is including $200,000 in the city’s 2024 budget to help keep it free.
