Youth Athletes Will Be Carded By Tina Boeving
There is an extra step to registration this year. Before you can register for baseball (or soccer, football, basketball, etc.) you need to stop by one of the city’s recreation centers and get either a resident or non-resident ID. You will then need to provide the number from that ID on our registration form.
Before you go there are a number of questions to ask to determine which card you are getting. We’ll start with the easy group first, residents of St. Petersburg.
If your child already has a photo ID card because they are enrolled in summer camp or a before and after school program at one of the recreation centers you already have your number for baseball. If you bought your child a photo ID card so they could use the skate park, again you are all set, it is the same card. If you don’t have a City of St. Petersburg resident photo ID card then you need to take two forms of ID (see enclosed brochure for list), and the child who you are getting the card for so they can get their picture taken, and pay a $5.00 fee. The recreation centers have been told to issue 2005 cards since they are valid through July 31, don’t lose your card because you will need it for spring registration as well.
Now, if you are not a resident it is a little more complicated. (The quick test to determine if you are a resident is to see who collects your trash, if it is anyone other than the city you are a
non-resident).
There are two options for non-residents. You can purchase a card that is good for a year the same as the resident card but the cost is $100. Or you can purchase a seasonal card which is $10 per month. The seasonal card is not a photo ID card but a receipt with a number on it. For non-residents there are a different set of questions to ask yourself before you decide which card to purchase.
Are you in the unincorporated part of the county? If so, you may be eligible for county reimbursement of most of the cost of the card. The forms to apply for the reimbursement will also be available at the recreation center so you can fill them out at the same time. If you are eligible for reimbursement it would reduce your non-resident card from $100 to about $10. If you live in an incorporated part of Pinellas County you are not eligible for this program and will have to pay the full $100.
Does your child play more than one sport? If you opt to purchase the seasonal card at $10 per month you will be asked what you are registering for. Tell them Fossil Park fall ball and they will tell you how much it costs for the fall season. But if your child is also playing football in the fall they will need a seasonal card for that as well. If they play baseball and soccer in the spring you will have to purchase seasonal cards for each of those as well. If they play baseball for Fossil and for the Stingers they will need a separate card for each. So if your child plans on playing different sports take a list with you so you don’t forget one and then ask for the seasonal rates for each of those being registered for between now and July 2005. Depending on what your child plans on playing you may save by buying the $100 card vs. the $10 per month, for others it will be more economical to take the $10 per month option.
The recreation center computers were scheduled to be on-line with all the youth sports registration seasonal rates by June 1st. It is recommended that you go early to avoid lengthy waits during registration time. The process is not supposed to be very time consuming, they enter the data into the computer, take the child’s photo and computer generate the card.
The information collected for these cards is not considered public
information. The only exception to release of information will be if your child is missing and the police need a recent photo, the recreation center will print a copy of the picture taken for your child’s ID card.
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