ST. PETE BEACH — Commissioners have updated the city’s parking fine ordinance, with changes designed to help parking agents fine more violators — sometimes more than once.
When it comes to some parking infractions, violators can be fined every two hours.
During a May 5 meeting, Community Development Director Michelle Gonzalez told commissioners a review of current state statutes revealed a section of the Florida code regulating public parking does not prohibit the governing body of a municipality from regulating the parking of motor vehicles, and parking fines were increased for violations that are not state-regulated.
The commission unanimously passed the changes on final reading.
“The main intent was to update our parking fines, so we can have an increased cost on certain violations that are controlled and regulated by the city, such as parking without a resident permit or overtime at the metered areas,” Gonzalez said.
She told commissioners the fine for parking without a permit was increased to $90 to align with Treasure Island rates. The fine for overtime parking at a meter was increased to $40, while unlawful parking on a right of way was updated to $500, if someone parks a vehicle for sale, advertising, storage or junkage. Parking a vehicle at a boat ramp space without a trailer was increased to $60.
Additional tickets can be issued after every two hours.
“We’re really continuing to increase the efforts in terms of if you don’t pay, if you don’t do the right thing, you will be ticketed,” City Manager Alex Rey told commissioners.
The city has issued almost double the number of parking citations since pre-pandemic years.
Gonzalez said the city will put up signs to inform the public about fines that increase every two hours.
Commissioner Ward Friszolowski said people are getting “very creative as to where they can park for the beach, like on 46th Street. They’ll take the tiniest little space and get their car in there, because it’s not a no-parking space. This would make it illegal to take that space without us having to put up a parking sign in front of every tiny little spit of land. That’s where I see this being an advantage, to kind of cleaning up the city and not allowing for that.”
Gonzalez said that also happens in the Upham Beach area. A problem is people “trying to invent spaces,” she said.
When it comes to blocking a driveway, Gonzalez said that would also be considered an obstruction of traffic, which includes the ability to tow vehicles. While an attempt would be made to contact the offender, they could wind up getting both a towing charge as well as an illegal parking fine.
If people have a party and live in a parking restricted neighborhood, they can apply for party parking passes.
Meanwhile, a staff suggestion to eliminate a section of the ordinance that stated no vehicle shall be parked within ten feet of a mailbox between 8 a.m. and 10 p.m., except Sundays and holidays, unless the vehicle is registered to an address immediately adjacent to the location, was rejected, leaving the section to remain as written.
Gonzalez said other sections of the parking code “were updated regarding parking on city rights-of-way. As a result of commission comments, the ordinance was clarified to ensure that vehicles are not parked on dirt, grass, or landscaped city rights-of-way, medians, or swales,” she said.