PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — The owner of "Parrots of the Caribbean" brought his amphibious vehicle back to Madeira Beach after leaving the area nearly a decade ago for tours in Grand Cayman. 

"This particular boat started in this area, ended up in the Cayman islands and now we're back in this area," said Capt. Kevin Buck, 58. "This area keeps pulling us back." 

Captain Buck began offering tours on his beach trolley located in John's Pass Village on May 9. The tour drives customers south to St. Pete Beach and returns by water to Madeira Beach.

"This is a very particular business," said Buck. "You've got to have a nice land tour and you have to have a nice water tour."

It's billed as a land and sea adventure while also getting a history of the barrier islands along the way. Buck's wife, Nicole, 44, is his first mate and tour guide.

"We're always doing research. We're keeping it up to date," she said. "We always try to never tell you too many tall tales." 

Buck said restarting his tour business in Pinellas County during high inflation has been a challenge. The beach trolley uses diesel and Buck said he's paying more than double of what the fuel used to cost.

"It used to be $180-to-$200. Now it's more $500-to-$525," he said. "So far, we haven't passed it off to the customer but that's not going to go on much longer if we start knocking on $6 a gallon. Which is where we're at." ​

Buck said he's also having trouble finding a good mechanic and employees for his boat trolley tours. The captain said they have to limit the number of tours per day until fully staffed. Parrots of the Caribbean is closed on Tuesday and Wednesday.

The beach trolley is a much safer amphibious vehicle than a duck boat, according to Buck.

"We're manufactured as a boat, first, just like a regular fishing boat," he said. "Then we adapt it to drive down the road. That definitely makes us the safest on the water and on the land." 

Duck boats are old military vehicles that have been involved in a string of fatal accidents. In 2018, 17 people were killed​ when a duck boat sank in a lake during a storm in Branson, Missouri.

Buck said it would be pretty tough to sink the beach trolley.

"We've got four separate bilge pumps, four water tight compartments that are individual and a crash bulkhead," he said. "It's extremely safe, it's fire resistant, it's jet drive." 

The trolley boat was designed by a Naval architect in Melbourne and is manufactured in Largo. Buck said they're selling trolley boats for $450,000.

"We manufacture the actual boat itself in a mold just like you would a commercial boat," he said. "We've got a brand new model that we're doing right now, 100 percent electric." ​

Buck said they operated in John's Pass for about 6 years before leaving for Grand Cayman in 2013. Since they were out of the country for a few years, Buck said the boat trolley had to get a new certificate of inspection from the Coast Guard.

"This boat went through absolute top rigorous inspection," he said. "Way more than it would probably get when it's brand new." 

An adult ticket for a tour on Parrots of the Caribbean costs $44.50. The beach trolley can seat 34 customers. The tour lasts about 30 minutes on land and one hour on the water.