Village parking changes pass

The Longboat Key Town Commission asked town staff to take a side on Linley Street parking — specifically, to recommend a side of the Longbeach Village street on which to ban parking.

Town staff did just that and recommended a ban on parking on the north side of Linley Street as part of an ordinance restricting parking throughout the neighborhood.

The commission unanimously adopted the ordinance on second reading at its Nov. 3 regular meeting. The ordinance includes the following restrictions:

No parking on the entire north side of Linley Street from Longboat Drive South to Lois Avenue;
No parking for the entire north side of Broadway Street from Palm Drive to Bayside Drive; 
No parking from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. on the entire south side of Broadway from Palm Drive to Bayside Drive; 
No parking on the east side of the street on Lois Avenue between Broadway and Russell Street; 
No parking on the east side of street on Poinsetta Drive between Broadway and Russell Street.

Village residents have been generally supportive of the ordinance, although they have told the commission further restrictions are needed.

Vice Mayor Jack Duncan asked why the commission could not vote to ban parking on one side for the entire neighborhood. Longbeach Village Association President Michael Drake agreed with Duncan.

“You basically echoed what I said last month,” said Drake, referring to the commission’s Oct. 6 meeting, during which it approved the ordinance on first reading. “At this point, I think what you’ve done is a good start, but in no way will it be the last.”

“This is the second time I’ve heard that you need to do this now so we can go back and do it again,” Duncan said.

Town Attorney Maggie Mooney-Portale explained why the commission could not opt to make neighborhood-wide changes at Monday’s meeting.

“Blame it on the lawyer,” she said. “The law on how far you can go in changing an ordinance midstream allows you to make changes as long as it’s not a substantial or material change.”

Portale told commissioners that the town noticed the public that it would discuss an ordinance prohibiting parking in “certain sections” of the Village.

“We didn’t say we were proposing changes on all of the streets,” she said. “If we had done that, you could certainly do what you’re proposing.”

Portale told the commission it should make those changes, however, it would require the town to restart the process of adopting the ordinance. Commissioners and Village residents supported moving the ordinance forward last month so it could take effect later in November, before peak season.

Commissioner Phill Younger urged the commission to pass the ordinance and revisit the issue.

“It’s my opinion that we should vote for this and get it out of the way and require that the town come back to us at the soonest possible moment to address the streets,” Younger said.

Drake said the Village Association would monitor the situation throughout the season.

“I think the Village as a whole, yes, we should probably revisit it, but let’s monitor what we have now,” he said.

The original ordinance did not include a parking ban on either side of Linley Street. The commission voted in October to add the restriction after residents expressed their concerns about the street.

Town staff will bring proposed revisions for parking enforcement to the commission at its Nov. 12 workshop.

Contact Robin Hartill at [email protected].