Business & Tech

Suffolk County Nixes Fire Island Ferry Surcharge

Twenty-five cent surcharge was considered in order to help county close $530M budget gap.

Suffolk County will not impose a 25-cent surcharge on Fire Island ferry tickets this summer, Newsday reports.

The proposed fee, which was under consideration by County Executive Steve Bellone, was a revenue-raising measure to help close the county's $530-million budget gap.

If implemented, the surcharge would have raised an estimated $750,000.

Find out what's happening in West Islipfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

The fee was met with opposition from Fire Island residents and private ferry operators, likely prompting officials to abandon the plan.

"We have heard the concerns raised and will not implement a .25 surcharge on Fire Island Ferry," County spokeswoman Vanessa Baird-Streeter wrote in an email to Newsday.

Find out what's happening in West Islipfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.