Media Contact:
Katie King
EW Bullock Associates
(850) 438-4015
katie@ewbullock.com
To help alleviate traffic congestion for the Pensacola Beach Air
Show, the Santa Rosa Island Authority (SRIA) is extending public transportation
hours along the island on Friday, July 7, and is adding extra buses to the
schedule on Saturday, July 8.
On Friday, July 7, the SRIA’s three, free open-air trolleys will begin
transporting customers starting at 7:30 a.m. and extend their service to Park
East, located a mile east of Portofino Resort, until 6 p.m. Following that, the
regular route will resume until midnight.
On Saturday, July 8, starting at 6:30 a.m., the SRIA will have
four buses in addition to the three open-air trolleys running and will extend
their service area to Park East until 6 p.m. Following that, the three open-air
trolleys will resume normal operations until midnight.
On Friday and Saturday, buses and trolleys will service passengers
from Park East and Park West to Casino Beach throughout the day. Post-show,
trolleys servicing Portofino Resort/Park East will be staged on Via de Luna directly
across from Santa Rosa Island Authority (facing east). Trolleys servicing Park
West will be staged on Ft. Pickens Rd. adjacent to The Sandshaker (facing
west).
Due to extreme traffic and congestion buildup on Friday and
Saturday, trolley service to the access road stops (Grand Marlin, Radical
Rides/Laguna’s, Quietwater Beach, and the Boardwalk) will be temporarily
suspended until 6 p.m.
The SRIA wants to remind all passengers that they will only be
picked up and dropped off at designated trolley stops.
Passengers who wish to get back to their vehicles as soon as the
air show ends need to be on the first fleet of buses leaving Casino Beach
post-show. Due to the gridlock that occurs immediately following the air show,
riders should expect to wait as long as 90 minutes for the trolleys or buses to
return to Casino Beach if they are not on the first trip out.
The
official 2023 Pensacola Beach Air Show will begin at approximately 11 a.m.
Saturday. The free trolley and bus service is provided by the Santa Rosa Island
Authority and Escambia County Area Transit (ECAT) handles the expert driving.
About the Santa Rosa Island Authority
Pensacola
Beach is owned by Escambia County, Fla., and is under the direction of the
Santa Rosa Island Authority (SRIA). The SRIA was created by the Florida
legislature in 1947 under Chapter 24500. The SRIA does not receive tax support
from the taxpayers of the county. It is fully funded from lease fees collected
from business and residences on the beach. The Island Authority board is made
up of six members, five are named by members of the Escambia County Board of
Commissioners whose term is the same as the commissioner who appointed them.
Registered voters on Pensacola Beach elect the sixth member. The elected
member’s term is two years.
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