St. Pete Beach has initiated a pilot program to strengthen the enforcement of specific ordinances to maintain safety and cleanliness.

The city’s Code Enforcement team, in partnership with the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office, will focus on enforcing rules such as no alcohol consumption in public beach areas, staying off the dunes, and ensuring dogs are not present on the beach.

This initiative started on February 14 and will run until April 30.

“There are signs that support these rules already, and I agree with these enforcements because not everyone will clean up after their dog, and the dunes are crucial for our environment here,” said Eric Spell.

The program’s timing coincides with the upcoming Spring Break season, following a year where South Florida had deadly shootings and local authorities declared a state of emergency during the holiday period, prompting heightened vigilance by Tampa Bay police agencies for 2024.

With the beach still recovering from consecutive storms, visitors like Ken Kaltenbach are hopeful it will remain a peaceful retreat. “You’ve got to keep things under control. Less trash, fewer beer bottles, less of everything,” he commented.

Follow the St. Pete-Clearwater Sun on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, Google, & X

(Image credit: WTSP)

PIE-Sun.com: local St. Pete-Clearwater news