Residents who wish to participate in any parks and recreation program run by the City of St. Petersburg need to have an Advantage Membership Card. Residents can buy one at any local community center.
The Advantage Membership Card used to be called a Resident Card, explained an employee from the Frank W. Pierce Community Park. The card started around the same time Mayor Baker was in office in 2001. Since then, the card has changed its name.
The card also allows for small discounts at certain stores, such as 10 percent off at the Village Inn restaurant and one free admission to Sunken Gardens. The city is hoping to expand the discounts available to their members, but city officials are still working on it. There is a full list of what is now available online at http://stpete.org.
The card allows free access to things such as the open gym, where people can go play basketball without worrying about basketball leagues interfering. It allows people to participate in classes at the centers, join a sports league, and attend after school and summer programs.
“It helps keep track of the local residents who use the parks and recreation programs,” said Alexis Shuder, public information specialist.
Each member in the family must have an Advantage Membership Card in order to participate in anything from afterschool care to playing sports to going to the pool. Residents only have to pay $15 per year, but non-residents who which to participate in any of these programs must pay $125. At the time of purchase, citizens must show two forms of ID that prove they are City of St. Petersburg residents. For example, one can use his or her driver’s license and a property tax statement to prove residency.
“A non-resident is anyone who does not pay taxes to the city of St. Petersburg,” Shuder said. It is not as easy as the address on a person’s license. “My license says my zip code is in the Gulfport area, but in fact, my house is on the borderline.”
Even if a person owns a business in St. Petersburg, that person is not a resident of the city of St. Petersburg.
“I go to school in St. Pete, but my license address considers me a non-resident,” said William Nicks, a student at University South Florida of St. Petersburg. “I wanted to take a class at a community park, but wasn’t going to pay $125 on top of the fee for the class.”
St. Petersburg resident Ashley Molino feels similarly. “I don’t mind paying the extra $15. I know that it is going to a good cause, keeping the parks up to date and safe for the kids,” she said. She lives in an apartment in St. Petersburg, and goes to the gym to play basketball with her friends at Frank W. Pierce Community Park. However, she was put off by the amount of the non-resident rate.
If non-resident citizens want to participate in a program badly enough, the price is something they will have to deal with. The extra fee goes to the upkeep of community park facilities.
The Parks and Recreation Department is running a program for the children who reside in St. Petersburg. “Read for Rec” is a program where children must read 10 books. Their reward is a free Advantage Membership Card. Children must go their local library to sign up. If they already have a card, the one earned from reading will be prorated for the following year.
The Advantage Membership Card is a way for the city to bring in extra income in order to make sure the residents are provided with nice places to play and have fun. The city wants make sure the equipment provided is in good shape and are able to meet the demands of their residents.
This story was originally written for the USF St. Petersburg Neighborhood News Bureau. To read more of the Bureau’s stories, please visit http://www.nnbnews.com/.
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