Amid Record Growth, Sarasota-Bradenton Airport Discontinues Free 30-Minute Parking

SARASOTA, FL — Starting Friday, Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport is discontinuing free 30-minute parking in all of its lots.

Customers are encouraged to use the free cell phone lot on Rental Car Road, the airport said in a news release.

Those who park in SRQ’s short-term or long-term lots for up to 40 minutes will now be charged $2. It will cost drivers another $2 for each additional 20 minutes after that.

Daily maximum rates will increase from $13 to $14 in the long-term lot, $14 to $15 in the shaded lot and $16 to $18 in the short-term lot, the airport said.

Related Story: Annual Passenger Record Broken At Sarasota Bradenton Airport

The updated parking rates come as Sarasota-Bradenton International continues to break passenger records.

By the end of August, the airport broke its calendar year passenger record. The number of passengers traveling through SRQ in the first 8 months of the year totaled 2,034,538, breaking the all-time annual record of 2,010,304 set in 1990, the airport said.

Passenger traffic in August was 83 percent higher than the pre-COVID-19 levels for August 2019.

SRQ currently has 10 airlines providing nonstop flights to 50 destinations and has an economic impact of more than $1.3 billion on the region.

Rick Piccolo, president and CEO, previously told Patch that by the end of 2021, there will be more than 4.3 million passenger seats flying in and out of Sarasota-Bradenton International.

To accommodate this growth, the airport will spend more than $100 million on expansion and renovation projects in coming years.

This includes a recently completed parking lot and fuel farm expansion, as well as plans for a new five-gate terminal, a new ground transportation center, the expansion of its existing terminal wing to increase its holding space and concession offerings, and the expansion of its baggage claim area.