"Let's take that $500,000 and do something else with it," Commissioner Karen Marriott said at the Aug. 25 St. Pete Beach commission meeting, as WUSF and the St. Pete Catalyst reported. Five weeks later, on Wednesday, Sept. 30, Freebee made its last door-to-door trips on the island. Bay News 9 was there for the final day.
That makes this November and December the first holiday season in seven years without an on-demand ride the city pays for. The two fixed lines still running meet at one small corner of the island. Most of the season's events happen there too.
What stopped on Sept. 30
Freebee gave about 4,000 trips a month, according to the August reporting, and about 1,200 people had registered to use it. The city told Bay News 9 that the latest contract cost $536,000 and that each resident ride cost the city between $14 and $17. Mayor Scott Tate compared that with PSTA bus service on the island, which works out to less than $3 a ride across roughly 90,000 riders, as reported by Tampa Bay Beacons.
Commissioners said the money was needed for hurricane recovery and for stormwater and sewer work. Freebee's own St. Pete Beach page now says its service there ended Sept. 30, 2026.
Two public options are left: PSTA's SunRunner and the Suncoast Beach Trolley. PSTA Access is still available for eligible riders with disabilities. Neither fixed line covers the whole island, so where they run matters.
Where the two lines meet
The trolley's southern end is 75th Avenue and Gulf Boulevard. From there it runs north through Treasure Island, John's Pass Village, Madeira Beach and the other beach towns to Park Street in Clearwater. The Corey Avenue district has public parking on 75th Avenue right behind the shops on Corey's 400 block, so the trolley stops a short walk from the shopping street.
The SunRunner comes over from downtown St. Petersburg. Its island stops are at Sun Island Drive, Boca Ciega Drive, 55th Avenue and Beach Access, which PSTA places at 4700 Gulf Boulevard. PSTA puts the Boca Ciega Drive South station outside 320 75th Avenue. Its directions from either Boca Ciega station to Corey Avenue are simple: walk one block southeast on Boca Ciega Drive, then turn onto Corey. For Horan Park, near the start of the Corey Causeway, PSTA sends riders northeast along Pasadena Avenue from the same Boca Ciega stations.
This corner was already the island's busiest transit stop. PSTA told the city that in the 10 months before the August 2026 meeting, 80,728 passengers boarded at 75th Avenue and Boca Ciega Drive. That compares with 57,477 at the TradeWinds and 70,231 at County Beach Park.
The two lines run on different rules:
| Suncoast Beach Trolley | SunRunner | |
|---|---|---|
| End nearest Corey Avenue | 75th Ave & Gulf Blvd | Boca Ciega Drive stations |
| Southernmost stop | 75th Ave & Gulf Blvd | Beach Access, 4700 Gulf Blvd |
| How often | Every 30 minutes | Every 15 minutes until 8 p.m., then every 30; every 15 until midnight on Fridays and Saturdays |
| Hours | 5:05 a.m. to 11:31 p.m. Sunday–Thursday; until 12:56 a.m. Friday–Saturday | 6 a.m. to midnight, seven days |
| Fare | $2.25 exact cash; $2.36 with Flamingo or tap-to-pay | $2.25 per ride; no cash |
Two details from that table matter most at night. The SunRunner keeps its 15-minute pace until midnight only on Fridays and Saturdays, under the program PSTA calls SunRunner After Dark. The trolley runs past midnight only on those same two nights. Fares and schedules can change, so check PSTA's trolley page before a late night out.
The season's dates, closest to the corner first
Nearly every resident event on this year's calendar is on Corey Avenue or at Horan Park, both within walking distance of the stops above.
- Sunday, Nov. 8: Salute to Service at Horan Park. American Legion Post 305 hosts a celebration of service and America's 250th, 3 to 5 p.m., gates at 2 p.m. Tickets are listed at $10 to $20, and $5 to $10 for service members, on the event's ticket page.
- Saturday, Nov. 14: Corey Avenue Veterans Day Celebration, noon to 9 p.m., free, on the Corey Avenue calendar. The same day, Paradise News lists Vettes for Vets at Horan Park.
- Saturday, Nov. 28: Shop Small Saturday on Corey Avenue, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., free.
- Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 5–6: Corey Avenue Holiday Art & Craft Festival, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days, free.
- Wednesday, Dec. 9: the city's Holly Jolly Christmas Trolley and Monday, Dec. 14: Breakfast With Santa, both on Paradise News' October roundup.
- Friday, Dec. 18: St. Pete Beach Holiday Boat Parade, starting at 6 p.m. The Rockin' Rudolph viewing party with the Horny Toads runs 6 to 9 p.m. at Horan Park, 7701 Boca Ciega Drive, with beer, wine and food.
The Corey Avenue Sunday Market also runs 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. as a recurring series.
The two evening events land at good times for transit. The Veterans Day Celebration ends at 9 p.m. on a Saturday, and the boat parade party ends at 9 p.m. on a Friday. Both are trolley nights with service until 12:56 a.m., and both are SunRunner After Dark nights, when buses keep coming every 15 minutes until midnight.
If you have a boat, register through the Bay to Bay Foundation. The captains' meeting is Tuesday, Dec. 15, at 6 p.m. at the St. Pete Beach Community Center. The city's parade announcement says an official map will show estimated times at viewing spots along the route, for backyard and dockside parties.
South of Beach Access, the gap is older than Freebee
The SunRunner's last island stop is Beach Access at 4700 Gulf Boulevard. The trolley turns around at 75th Avenue. Neither goes on to the Don CeSar or into Pass-a-Grille.
That gap is how Freebee started in the first place. Marriott explained the history at the August meeting, as WUSF reported. The city used to pay PSTA to run a bus farther south into Pass-a-Grille. After residents objected to buses on their streets, the city cut that service back and used some of the savings to start on-demand rides. Those rides began on a short stretch of the south beach and later grew to cover the island.
PSTA also priced what it would cost to fill the gap with the trolley. According to the Tampa Bay Beacons report, extending it from 75th Avenue to County Beach Park would add $200,000 a year. Going on to the Don CeSar would likely add another $200,000, bringing the total contract to $642,000.
For now, the remaining on-demand option is private. Free Beach Ride describes itself as a door-to-door shuttle covering everything from the south tip of Pass-a-Grille to northern Madeira Beach. You can call 727-776-7553, send a request online or use its app, and the company says you don't need to book ahead. Its FAQ says tips are welcome. For anyone in Pass-a-Grille heading to the Holiday Art & Craft Festival or the boat parade party, the choice is a ride like that, a drive and a parking space, or a walk north to the Beach Access stop.
The trolley's contract runs out after the parade
The trolley serving Corey Avenue this season isn't funded for a full year. At its Sept. 21 meeting, the city commission's consent agenda included a renewal of the Suncoast Beach Trolley agreement with PSTA for Oct. 1 through Dec. 31, 2026, for $60,500. The boat parade on Dec. 18 is the last big event on the island's calendar before that period ends.
What comes after Dec. 31 hasn't been settled. In August, commissioners told staff to negotiate a PSTA contract built mainly around PSTA Access, the on-demand service for riders with disabilities, and asked what PSTA could provide for $100,000 instead of the $242,000 it proposed. Money could come from two resort projects. Marriott said the approved TradeWinds and Sirata plans call for a combined $225,000 a year in transportation contributions for five years if the projects move forward. "If we decide not to move forward with microtransit right now," she said, "that doesn't mean that we're never going to circle back to it," according to WUSF.
Until the commission decides on PSTA service for the new year, the Corey Avenue and Horan Park events through Dec. 18 fall inside the period the trolley is funded.
If the end of Freebee has you reconsidering which part of the island fits your daily routine, I'm glad to talk it through. With Drift Home Realty, we can map your usual trips against what still runs from your block, starting with the trolley schedule that's funded through Dec. 31. Schedule a free consultation.
