Wall Springs Park playground closed for replacement, with a new one expected this winter

Morning fog over Lake Tarpon at John Chesnut Sr. Park in Pinellas County, Florida, one of the county parks noted in the update. Dated location file photo from February 2018. Photo: Xrzt / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0). Resized; website wordmark added. Photo source · License

The playground at Wall Springs Park in Palm Harbor has been closed since Sept. 28 while Pinellas County installs a replacement, according to the county Parks & Conservation Resources park updates page, last updated Oct. 2. The county lists an expected completion of Winter 2026.

The rest of the 210-acre park at 3725 Desoto Boulevard — the boardwalk over the spring, the observation tower, picnic shelters and trail connections — is not listed as affected, and park hours remain 7 a.m. to sunset daily.

Pinellas County park pass rates, effective Oct. 1, 2026

Pass type	Previous	New
Annual beach pass, full price	$75.00	$95.00
Annual boat pass, full price	$110.00	$140.00
Limited income beach pass	$37.00	$55.00

Source: pinellas.gov

Where to go in the meantime

The county points families to John Chesnut Sr. Park at 2200 East Lake Road, which has two large playgrounds. Visitors there should expect periodic contractor activity on the water: a crew is treating exotic aquatic vegetation across an 8.5-acre pond, work that began May 13 with four treatments scheduled over 12 months.

Wall Springs is one of several county playgrounds being rebuilt at once under the same funding source, federal award SLFRP4653 from the U.S. Treasury under the American Rescue Plan Act. Eagle Lake's playground also closed Sept. 28, and at Philippe Park the main playground is closed while a second rock-structure playground stays open. Both list Winter 2026 completion dates.

What park parking now costs

Beginning Dec. 1, beach parking will be $3.50 per hour, capped at $12 per day, and boat ramp parking will be $12 per day, plus tax.

Annual beach passes cover parking at Fort De Soto Park, Sand Key Park and Fred Howard Park Beach, and can be bought or renewed at explore.pinellas.gov, by phone at 727-582-2100 (Option 2), or in person at the Parks and Conservation Resources office on Ulmerton Road in Largo. The county stopped accepting checks in May. Disabled U.S. Veteran passes remain free.