We were just there in March. The best thing to do as far as the details of where to pay and how much is to call the telephone number for Caladesi Island State Park and listen to the recording. Seems like it was $3-5 per person for the ferry. I don't remember the admission cost. What does stand out in my mind is that the ferry drivers really get the message out that they want tipped. Yes, you only get a few hours on the island and you are given a time ticket. As we were leaving we saw a picture in the snack bar of the whole island and wished we would have seen it up front so we would have known where to walk as soon as we landed. (It would have been quite a walk to get to the nice part.) We were not the only ones that day that didn't know where the really picturesque area of the beach was. With our time constraints we missed the opportunity to explore further. With burgers and cokes from the snack bar, admission and ferry (with tip) our family of 7 (5 kids) dropped about $100 for just a few hours. The beach was private but very wild looking with seaweed and debris washed up. Not really the loads of soft white sand that you might get at some beaches. It may have been nicer if we would have walked 30-45 minutes further out (but it would have been almost time to turn back.)Lots of shells. We might return and try it again being sure to go to the far area right away and bring our own food.
