The Sarasota City Commission voted 4-1 to allow public comment at the Monday, Aug. 31, public workshop on the city’s ever-changing parking rules.
Mayor Debbie Trice, the lone “no” vote on the motion to suspend the city’s rules to allow comment, disputed the perception that no public comment was allowed at an Aug. 24 open house.
She stressed that the meeting was advertised to accept written comments only. Those documents were included in the agenda packet for Aug. 31.
City Manager Karie Frilling noted that good public policy requires the city to consider the entire community in dealing with the parking issue.
“My hope today is, on my third month anniversary, that we can reset the conversation,” Frilling said.
How did we get here with Sarasota parking?
In March, the city commission opted to
expand parking hours instead of raising parking fees to deal with an ongoing shortfall in the city’s parking enterprise fund.
A combination of lost revenues and an increase in maintenance costs partly attributed to the impact of the 2024 hurricane season and street flooding — especially on St. Armands Key — means that for the 2026 fiscal year, the parking department is projected to lose $270,784.
That’s based on projected revenues of $6.29 million versus $6.56 million in expenditures.
Based on city projections, the increases would allow the parking enterprise fund to operate in the black, even while paying for significant capital improvements over the next five years, such as replacement of elevators, installation of license plate readers, and new vehicles.
What are the Sarasota parking rules now?
Timed parking rules are enforced from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday through Saturday in most of the city.
In Sarasota’s Judicial District — defined by the city as Main Street and Ringling Boulevard east of U.S. 301 — that enforcement is from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.
All other on-street downtown parking is enforced from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. The cost for both is $1.50 per hour.
Parking in a timed spot monitored by ParkMobile costs $1.50 per hour.
Parking in any of the three garages in downtown Sarasota and on St. Armands Key costs $1 per hour.
According to the city of Sarasota parking division, there are a total of 3,508 on-street parking spaces with 828 paid spaces, 927 two-hour spaces, 499 three-hour spaces and 1,163 spaces with no time restriction.
St. Armands Key has a total of 1,133 street spaces, with 407 of those paid, while 389 are three-hour spaces and 347 have no time restrictions.
Since an Aug. 3 city commission vote to roll back parking hours did not roll back fine levels, a time violation or unpaid meter is a $30 fine, while an expired registration or parking outside a marked space costs $40.\
What were the controversial Sarasota parking rule changes?
The seismic change was expansion of parking enforcement to 8 a.m. to midnight seven days a week — ending free and untimed parking on Sundays.
Parking fines were increased by $5.
Earle Kimel primarily covers local governments in Sarasota County as well as land development and environmental issues for the Herald-Tribune. Follow him on Facebook, and X. He can be reached by email at earle.kimel@heraldtribune.com. Support local journalism by subscribing.
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Sarasota parking debate erupts as commission allows comments
