A new route: Henderson Beach by bus on zero dollars a day

DESTIN, FL - There would be less crowding on the Crystal Beach shores if tourists had a cheap, easy alternative for beachgoing, Destin Mayor Craig Barker says.

At Monday’s City Council meeting, the council unanimously endorsed Barker’s proposal for “a trolley that will go door to door, literally, or street by street, pick up renters with their coolers, umbrellas or whatnot” and take them to Henderson Beach State Park, free.

“I think it will mitigate a lot of the issues — I don’t think it’s going to solve anything — from parking to space on the beach,” Barker said, adding that he was looking to local businesses to fund and manage it.

The issues have included limited beach access, beachfront homeowners objecting that tourists trespass on private property, and clashes between beachgoers and beach vendors over space and passage across the beach.

The city already has a nine-year-old program providing Destin residents free access to Henderson Beach State Park, which normally charges $4 per car per visit. Originally the city issued free day passes; the revised format adopted in 2002 provides decals for residents’ cars, then the park bills the city every time a stickered car enters.

Shane Moody, the President/CEO of the Destin Area Chamber of Commerce, said the chamber was ready to take the lead in creating a shuttle service and looking for sponsors.

“It might (also) be a great opportunity to maybe help alleviate some of the parking problems at the Back Porch and Crab Trap,” Moody said, and it might eventually develop into a citywide transportation system.

Councilor Jim Wood asked if it would definitely be a bus service; Barker said he’d discussed several other options with Destin rental companies.

Moody said the chamber was looking to see if they could run the program for spring break as well as summer, researching grants and hoping to bring some of the bigger rental companies in as sponsors.