JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The city of Jacksonville is writing off $11 million in parking citations dating back to 1980.
City officials said it would cost too much to collect the fines on 191,500 citations issued over a 30-year period, most of which range from $15 to $70.
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Parking tickets are not a huge revenue stream for the city, but late tickets can carry some hefty charges and bring in millions of dollars. The city hired an outside firm to collect delinquent fees, but despite the crackdown, some people just are not paying
"The problem is it's difficult to collect $50 if you have to spend $100 to do it," City Council Finance Committee Chairman Bill Gulliford said.
COJ documents on uncollectable parking citations
Gulliford said this is a problem for many cities and he would like to see the state get involved.
"Because if you could assess it at the time somebody renews their registration ... that would be an area where I think you could collect the lion's share of that outstanding money," Gulliford said.
Gulliford said this money could be used to improve pedestrian and bicycle safety.
The biggest single year of unpaid tickets was 2006, when 19,091 citations worth nearly $1.3 million were issued.