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For the past two months, the Parking Advisory Board has flirted with the idea of recommending paid parking, but its members differ in views relating to location, equipment and strategy. Hampshire is adamant that the meters used last time were — in her words — "awful." After eight people showed up at a commission meeting with bags over their heads to urge "bagging" the new meters, the commissioners caved in and killed the initiative. Lyons knows he faces opposition from mer- chants, who have been vocal on the issue, but he also knows city commissioners are con- cerned about the perpetual half-million-dollar hole in their budget. Even if parking is "free" to motorists, it still takes money to maintain the parking garages and enforce two-hour time restrictions in various areas of the city, including St. Armands Circle and Southside Village. The latest idea floated by the advisory com- mittee is to use meters to enforce very short-term parking periods for a handful of spots in the busiest areas. That would open up places where a driver could pull in, get a cup of coffee or pick up a pre-ordered lunch or a clutch of flowers. But if there are no spaces in downtown Sarasota, the driver will take his business elsewhere. "Who parks on the street?" asked Hampshire during the DID meeting. "Employees; store owners; waiters. They are not shopping. Cleaning ladies at 1350 Main (a condominium complex). There are no spaces available, but there are no shoppers in the stores." % Search for text in stories by clicking the icon in the menubar and entering a search term. Search the current edition or all editions. QUICK TIP Search Only The Issue You Are Viewing Search All Issues Your search term here Don't have your own subscription to The Sarasota News Leader? Subscribe for FREE and receive a weekly notification when the latest issue is available online. FREE SUBSCRIPTION Sarasota News Leader May 2, 2014 Page 45