REHOBOTH BEACH, Del. - The paid parking season has come to an end for many coastal communities, including Rehoboth Beach. Rehoboth Beach's paid parking season concluded on September 15th.
Rehoboth Beach officials had made the decision to increase the hourly parking rate from $3.00 to $4.00 for the 2024 summer season. In addition to this, the cost of parking permits had gone up by 30 percent. According to the city, these increases were aimed at addressing a $4.4 million deficit in the proposed $37 million budget for the 2025 fiscal year.
Despite the end of the busy summer season, Rehoboth Beach remains packed with visitors, which is a positive sign for local businesses. When the parking rate increase was announced, many businesses expressed concerns that it could negatively impact sales.
Rudolph Gonzales, a cashier at Rehoboth Beach Convenience, says seeing the city still crowded gives him hope.
"This whole week, the parking has been full. People are taking advantage of the free parking. We just wish all of them would come into the store," Gonzales said.
During a meeting on September 20, the city's finance director told commissioners that parking revenue could fall short of the projected budget, possibly by a minimum of $200,000. During the end-of-summer 2023 report, the city initially stated that parking revenue was down but later admitted to a calculation error, revealing that revenue was actually about $20,000 higher than the previous summer. The total revenue from parking for summer 2024 had not yet been finalized by the city's finance department.
