SIESTA KEY — Sarasota County is expected to decide early next year whether it will impose paid parking at Siesta Key beaches.

The commission will hold a special workshop tentatively scheduled on Feb. 19 to discuss implementing paid parking at Siesta Key beaches, according to county documents. County officials said they believe the move would encourage carpooling to unclog roads and free up parking at the crowded tourist destination. The commission, which first considered charging to park last year, is tentatively slated to make a final decision at its March 19 meeting, county documents show.

At the February workshop, commissioners will consider implementing paid parking, a potential toll to access Siesta Key, expanded trolley routes to provide a remote park and ride service, bicycle sharing program, water taxi service, creating either a surface parking lot or parking garage at a county-owned property at 6647 Midnight Pass Road, and conducting a traffic and parking planning study — which could cost $40,000 to $100,000 — county officials have said.

“Charging for parking on Siesta Beach or implementing a toll may help encourage beach goers to car pool or use alternative transportation, which will help alleviate congestion on Siesta Key,” Carolyn Brown, the county’s former director of Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources, said in July when the commission revived the issue.

Possible remote sites for a potential park and ride program include: Westfield Siesta Key Mall, Westfield Sarasota Square and Sarasota Pavilion, formerly known as Gulf Gate Mall, Brown said. Each location would charge the county for spaces, Brown said, adding that the program could be a success if it’s reliable.

There are 976 parking spaces at Siesta Beach and an additional 300 spaces at Turtle Beach that usually fill up before midday during holidays and winter season, county officials have said.

Of similar jurisdictions, only Manatee County also has free parking, according to Brown’s analysis. Charlotte, Collier, Lee and Pinellas counties and the cities of Clearwater, Sanibel and St. Pete Beach all charge a wide array of different hourly, daily and annual fees. Some use smartphone apps, some use pay stations. Some include resident fees in their property taxes, and others limit where the permits can even be used.

The historically notorious notion of implementing paid parking at Siesta Key beaches is fine with barrier island residents — so long as they can still park for free, commissioners said in July. A survey of 700 residents conducted last year by the Siesta Key Association found 70 percent support paid parking on the key, and the Siesta Key Chamber of Commerce has endorsed the idea, as long as there is a method for residents to continue to receive free parking, such as with resident decals.

“This is new and unique to Sarasota County, the fact that we’re even considering charging for parking there,” Commissioner Charles Hines said in July. “In the past, we would all be thrown out of office for even talking about it, but now I think times have changed.”