VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. – Volusia County promised free beach parking for residents with passes a year ago. The passes were supposed to auto-renew, but some residents told News 6 their passes didn’t, leaving them with surprise tickets.
If you have a Volusia resident beach pass, make sure to log into the ParkVolusia.org website and check if your pass has auto-renewed. You may also have received a receipt in your email.
Many residents messaged News 6 saying their passes didn’t renew. This led to costly tickets when they parked in county-owned lots or were turned away when trying to drive on the beach.
“Their pass is valid for 365 days from their original registration date, but now, they’re starting to auto-renew for one year at a time up to three years,” said Miranda Tressler from the county’s Coastal Division.
Tressler noted that, as with any computer system, glitches can happen. She said they haven’t had any widespread issues, and many problems could be due to residents not updating their vehicle or tag information when it changes.
She said citations can always be appealed online by following the directions on the ticket.
“If your vehicle is registered or has an incorrect license plate, put that information in the appeal box so that it can be reviewed by our office,” Tressler said.
Some beach driving passes should have started renewing in October, marking the one-year anniversary of the beach driving program. The off-beach parking passes began renewing Jan. 1.
Between Oct. 1, 2025, and Jan. 13, 2026, the county issued over 10,500 citations in off-beach parking lots. More than 1,300 were appealed, and nearly 800 were upheld.
“If you didn’t register before you came to a lot and you receive a citation, as long as you register within 30 days of receiving that citation notice, we have a one-time waiver for a single citation for residents,” said Tressler.
The Volusia resident pass only works in county-owned lots with ParkVolusia signs. City-owned lots, like Flagler Avenue in New Smyrna Beach, and Inlet parks require separate passes.
In the county lots, citations can cost up to $100.