Seaside Heights Sees Big Jump in Beach Badge Revenue in 2022

Seaside Heights Code Enforcement officers ride along the boardwalk, July 2020. (Photo: Daniel Nee)

Seaside Heights is undoubtedly on an upswing, with a construction boom ushering in more residential development attracting vacationing families and new businesses moving in to revive the Boulevard business district. The increased interest in the town has translated to a banner year for beach badge and parking revenue, officials said Wednesday.

Councilwoman Agnes Polhemus confirmed “a very good year” for the borough, generating hundreds of thousands of dollars more than last summer – a success in its own right – now that the official beach season has come to a close.

Seaside Heights sold $2,471,000 in beach badges during the summer in 2021, up from $1,947,755 in 2021. The 2022 figures also bested revenue totals from the pandemic-era summer of 2020, when New Jerseyans on “stay-cations” flocked to local beaches, purchasing $1,953,590 in badges.

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Seaside Heights parking meter revenue for the summer totaled $2,205,423.

While the seven-figure totals are a sign of the borough’s popularity, the revenue is far from all profit. Deducted from the revenue is lifeguard salaries, police patrols, beach patrol staff, public works and maintenance overtime, on-call EMS services and upkeep of the boardwalk. A single block of boardwalk replacement planned for this winter is expected to cost about $900,000, officials have said.

Borough officials took time at their meeting Wednesday to thank workers who went the extra mile all season long to plug personnel holes created by the ongoing national labor shortage. Lifeguards, police officers and other employees routinely helped clean the boardwalk, assist with maintenance and lend a hand accessing the beach to those in need.

“We have the best – the best – employees of any municipality,” said Councilman Vito Ferrone. “Everyone works together to make this town better, and it’s really something to see. I didn’t grow up here in Seaside Heights, but to see those who did care so much about this town, wow.”

“This is a family town, and we are like a big family up here,” said Councilman Mike Carbone.

Seaside Heights will continue to post lifeguards on some of its beaches during the month of September.