City prepares to resume parking enforcement

Soon, visitors to Sarasota’s public garages and metered parking spaces will have to abide by posted time restrictions and make payments, where applicable.

In March, as part of a response to COVID-19, city staff stopped enforcing meter regulations and lifted the gates at garages downtown and on St. Armands Circle. The city did not shut down the meters or post signs saying payment was no longer mandatory, which Parking Manager Mark Lyons described as the consequence of a bond obligation used to fund the construction of the St. Armands garage. Still, parking revenue steeply declined April and early May.

Following the end of a statewide stay-at-home order, Lyons said the city began to see increased occupancy in metered spaces — and a corresponding increase in payments.

Lyons said payments increased 500% from the beginning of May to the end of May in St. Armands Circle and 200% downtown over that same time period.

“The streets are getting busy,” Lyons said.

As a result, parking staff is preparing to resume standard operations. Although a firm date has not yet been set, Lyons indicated enforcement could begin again in early July.

At Monday’s City Commission meeting, Main Street restaurant owner Chip Beeman asked officials to consider holding off on enforcing meter use.

Considering continued restrictions on occupancy at commercial businesses, Beeman said free parking was a rare benefit for Main Street merchants in a challenging time.

“Not one business owner that I have spoken with has said they are doing well,“ Beeman said. “We’re lucky to be doing 70% of previous year’s business.”

Lyons has previously argued that metered parking is beneficial for business, increasing circulation in the most valuable parking spaces for visitors willing to pay. He said pausing parking enforcement meant city taxpayers would have to bear more of the burden for parking expenses.

Resuming normal operations means reducing any potential subsidy from the city’s general fund to support the parking fund, Lyons said.

Lyons said city staff works to regularly clean the parking meters, but he emphasized the availability of the ParkMobile phone app for anyone who needs to pay to park and is concerned about sanitation while the coronavirus remains a threat.