Sarasota News Leader

10/26/2012

Issue link: https://newsleader.uberflip.com/i/90018

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 30 of 107

Sarasota News Leader October 26, 2012 Then they passed the hot potato to Mark Ly- ons, their newly hired parking manager. Some- how he would have to gather enough money to make parking enforce- ment revenue-neutral. With tougher enforce- ment instructions, the "meter maids" were sent forth, and the law of unintended conse- quences kicked in. Matthew Fried is the manager of the Daiquiri Deck on the Circle. "The marking of the parking boxes is a big is- sue. You could put two Smart cars in one box, but a Hummer doesn't fit, so it automatically gets a ticket." And anybody who lets his car sit for more than three hours is a ticket magnet, too. "No ticketing after 5 p.m. was the norm for 40 years," said Bill Carmen, the communica- tions director for the Circle association. "Now I have a $15 dinner and a $25 ticket? Am I coming back? The Circle pays over 3 percent of the property taxes in Sarasota. I don't think you should ticket after 5 p.m." Andrew Vac, the membership director for the Circle association, said, "The city has taken enforcement to an unbelievable, unreal level." Because the parking is "zoned," a visitor or resident or employee or customer cannot sim- ply move her car after three hours. The vehi- cle must be moved out of the "zone" — which Page 31 The city has taken enforcement to an unbelievable, unreal level. St. Armands Circle Association Membership Director Andrew Vac pushes employee parking into the residential areas of the key, upsetting residents such as Morrison. "Our concerns are our family and friends," he said. "Where can they park to pay us a visit?" All this vitriol was condensed into the 18 minutes allowed for public comment on the Parking Advisory Committee's agenda. The largest audience the committee had ever seen sat (and stood) and seethed. Lyons' supervisor, Deputy City Manager Mar- lon Brown, stepped up to speak. "Mark is will- ing to work with individuals to tweak what concerns they have. We have to think safety, but adjust accordingly," Brown said. "Perhaps we can issue a few more warnings. We can work within some parameters to make this work for the area." Their 18 minutes expired, concerned citizens, residents, business operators and property owners slowly left the meeting. Little did they know about the purpose of the committee it- self – to develop and present a strategic plan for parking in the city. The committee's job is to fly at 30,000 feet, far above the painful specifics. But what the committee members heard drove them to earth. Press Releases & News Tips News@SarasotaNewsLeader.com

Articles in this issue

Links on this page

Archives of this issue

view archives of Sarasota News Leader - 10/26/2012