Flowbird: St. Pete Beach Unveils Tropical Transformation to Smart Parking Kiosks

The City of St. Pete Beach, Florida, recently awarded as the #1 beach destination by TripAdvisor in the U.S., has partnered with Flowbird Group to make a unique statement on the City’s smart parking kiosks. All 35 Flowbird kiosks are being upgraded with 9” full-color touch screen displays and converted from their standard black exterior to a custom blue and teal design that reflects the City’s brand and welcoming message. The eye-catching design is being released at the same time that the Flowbird App is being introduced to the beach destination for an easier way to find and pay for parking.

St. Pete Beach has been a partner of Flowbird Group since 2006 and is known for staying up-to-date on the latest parking technologies to benefit the City’s 5 million visitors every year. The city grabbed the opportunity to promote their prestigious “Best of the Best” beach award from TripAdvisor in 2021 in the form of custom wraps for their newly upgraded parking kiosks. The new design transforms the kiosks from a parking pay station to a decorative piece fit for a top tourist destination. The custom printed wraps, designed and installed by Flowbird, display the iconic ‘Best of the Best’ TripAdvisor surfboard proudly printed on the back and the city’s branding on all sides. The design also features the new convenient way to pay for parking in SPB, the Flowbird App.

“We are making changes in an effort to ensure a great experience for our beach-goers", said Michelle Gonzales, Community Development Director for the City of St. Pete Beach, “Using technology to improve parking was a must for us. Flowbird kiosks provide that frictionless experience we wanted for our visitors so they could spend less time paying for parking and more time enjoying our beaches. The wraps are beautiful and functional. It’s a small detail, but it upholds our branding and contributes to the continuation of our reputation as the best beach in the nation.”

The easy-to-use parking payment app by Flowbird allows visitors to find and pay for parking on the spot. While the kiosks will be available to use by all visitors and beach-goers, the app offers the convenience to skip the kiosk and head straight to the shore with pay-by-cell technology. Users can also opt-in to receive text notifications when their parking session is about to expire and extend their time without ever leaving their beach chair. The app is GPS-enabled which allows users to search for the nearest city parking lot and select their parking location without manually inputting a zone code.

If a beach-goer finds themselves waiting in line at a newly designed kiosk, they can simply follow the instructions listed on the side of the unit to download and start using the Flowbird App. From there, setting up an account is quick and they can be on their way to paying for their parking session remotely.

“In the past, busy beach times meant waiting to pay. No one enjoys that. Our new parking kiosks were designed for ease and speed. If there are people ahead in line to pay, go mobile. It’s a terrific option that improves the beach-going, shopping, and dining experiences for everyone who comes to St. Pete Beach.”, said Peyt Dewar, Code and Parking Enforcement Manager for the City of St. Pete Beach.

The City will be able to manage and monitor all parking sessions through Flowbird’s powerful data hub. All parking activity information from Flowbird pay stations, the Flowbird mobile app, and 3rd party mobile apps are aggregated into Flowbird's back-office system to allow city staff to have a global view of all parking activity.

The Flowbird app is now available to use at all city-owned parking lots and zones, including on-street parking. New informational signs have been installed along all areas where the Flowbird App is available.

The new touch screen displays and kiosk wraps are currently being installed and are expected to be completed this June.

The City of St. Pete Beach joins many other beach communities across Florida utilizing the Flowbird app and Flowbird kiosks, including Jacksonville Beach, Madeira Beach, Neptune Beach, and Pensacola. The Flowbird app is now available in over 100 parking locations across the United States, and the company’s mobile applications generate over 50 million transactions per year. For more information, please visit www.flowbirdapp.com.

About Flowbird US

Flowbird operates in over 5,000 towns and cities in 70 countries. The company is constantly innovating and breaking new ground to help provide solutions. Its mission is to facilitate the individual journey and maximize a city’s unique mobility potential while considering all city stakeholders and end-user experiences. Through its devices, elite service platform, and teams, Flowbird enables a new era for maximizing urban harmony and value throughout the city’s core.