A woman was arrested Wednesday after Sarasota police said she grabbed a city parking enforcement specialist’s identification and pulled on a lanyard around the employee’s neck during a confrontation on St. Armands Circle.
Bradenton resident Anita Grace Valdez, 61, faces a felony battery charge, according to a Sarasota Police Department probable cause affidavit.
The parking employee told police she was issuing citations near North Washington Drive and John Ringling Boulevard shortly after 1 p.m. when Valdez pulled behind her city vehicle and began yelling at her to move, the affidavit states.
Police detail confrontation involving Tommy Bahama employee
After moving the parking enforcement vehicle, the employee followed Valdez to a parking lot behind Tommy Bahama at 371 St. Armands Circle and attempted to photograph
Valdez’s license plate so she could report the alleged harassment, police said.
Valdez then got out of her vehicle, and another verbal confrontation began, according to the affidavit. Police said Valdez reached for the employee’s identification card, which was attached to a lanyard around her neck.
Valdez allegedly made “aggressive contact” with the employee’s stomach and pulled on the lanyard, causing the employee to be pulled toward her, the affidavit states.
Police later found Valdez at Tommy Bahama, where she identified herself as an employee. Valdez acknowledged the confrontation but initially denied making physical contact with the parking employee, according to the affidavit. She told police she might have grabbed the identification card because she wanted to verify the employee’s identity and could not read the card.
Police said Valdez provided a photograph taken around the time of the confrontation that showed the city employee wearing a parking enforcement uniform and standing near a clearly marked city vehicle. The employee’s identification card was turned toward her body and could not be read in the photograph, the affidavit states.
A nearby surveillance camera captured the parking lot but did not provide a clear view of the confrontation, police said.
The parking employee did not initially report any visible injuries but later complained of pain in her stomach and neck, according to the affidavit.
Valdez was taken to the Sarasota County jail without incident.
Sarasota parking rules have drawn public backlash
The confrontation occurred amid a broader public debate over Sarasota’s parking policies, though police did not indicate that the incident was connected to the recent controversy.
The Sarasota City Commission recently rolled back expanded enforcement hours that had prompted public backlash. Current parking rules generally are enforced from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday, including on St. Armands Key.
Wade Tatangelo is the executive editor of the Sarasota Herald-Tribune and Florida dining and entertainment editor for the USA TODAY Network. Follow him on Facebook, Instagram, and X. He can be reached by email at wade.tatangelo@heraldtribune.com. Support local journalism by subscribing.
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Sarasota parking worker attacked on St. Armands, police say
