Music on Main parking hits sour note

APRIL FOOLS — There’s a parking emergency for Music on Main and other Lakewood Ranch Main Street events unless organizers can reach an agreement with Lakewood Ranch Medical Center.

Last week, the medical center informed Schroeder-Manatee Ranch, owners of Main Street, that it will no longer allow event parking for all Main Street events, citing new Florida emergency medical parking statutes that 75% of parking for hospitals must be made available for hospital patients at all times. The letter the medical center sent to SMR also stated that on more than one instance, “an ambulance’s entry into the emergency center entrance has been delayed on event nights because of patrons waiting in line to park in the parking lot.”

SMR officials are scrambling to find other parking options are also meeting with the medical center next week to see if hospital officials will allow event parking for the remaining 25% of the parking lot’s spaces, or 32 spaces.

A public charette is also being scheduled for next month at Lakewood Ranch Town Hall to discuss the possibility of parking being allowed in the right lanes only for both northbound and southbound portions of Lakewood Ranch Boulevard during events on Main Street.

Two Lakewood Ranch residents, meanwhile, have already inquired at Town Hall whether they can obtain a permit to allow pay-for-parking in their driveways during events. One resident, according to Town Hall officials, also would like to charge an additional fee to shuttle patrons to Main Street events in his golf cart.

Hopefully you made it to the end of the article, so we can say, Happy April Fools' Day! This story is not true.