There’s been mixed reaction of public outcry, acceptance.

Visitors of Tybee Island should expect to see different rates when they open their Park Tybee app or expect to carry a little bit more change on them to pay the parking meters. The city announced an increase in parking rates that saw the hourly parking rate increase from $3.50 to $4. The new rates started last month.

For those who pay for longterm parking decals, the annual parking pass will increase from $200 to $250 each, and the transferable parking pass will increase from $300 to $350 each. The senior discounted pass price will remain at $175, and there will be no change to the parking code that local businesses can obtain for employee parking.

Tybee Island Mayor Shirley Sessions said the increase in the number of yearly visitors to the barrier island means more cars and a need to better manage the limited parking spaces. The increase in rates is meant to augment the cost of parking services.

Beyond that, the hike in parking fees is also going toward beach renourishment. The additional 50 cents is meant to help the Department of Public Works to continue to maintain and beautify the city of Tybee Island’s infrastructure, including littering and waste management on the beach.

A part of that public safety network is also maintaining police, fire and lifeguard staffing.

“The public demands better service, and with that comes an additional increase in what we have to provide,” Sessions said. “When you look at the cost of living and we look at the services the city must provide, it seems certainly, I think, worth it to make sure that people have a good experience when they come to Tybee. And hopefully, that’s what will continue to provide at any cost.”

Much like the fee hike in 2020, there’s been a mixed reaction of public outcry as well as acceptance. Some residents and visitors have lamented the rise in prices, the frustrations stemming from the belief that it’s become too expensive to park on the island and that the services don’t match the hike.

But residents shared that the people it hurts the most are nonresidents who commute to the island for work, especially from Whitemarsh and Wilmington islands.

Whitemarsh Island resident Carolyn Spitzer said she used to regularly make trips to Tybee to sell her art or for leisure, but now she only visits when absolutely necessary.

“We (Whitemarsh Island residents) feel we’re not welcome. They want so much tourist money … they’re not thinking of us locals,” she said. “It’s getting too costly to live and, unfortunately, too costly to play. Locals are the cake. Tourists are the frosting on the cake. If you keep pushing locals out, your cake won’t be around to support the frosting.”

SAVANNAH MORNING NEWS Visitors pay for parking in the lot near Tybee Pier and Pavilion last month. The hourly parking rate increased from $3.50 to $4 as of last month.