ATLANTIC BEACH, Fla. – Paid parking has become a hot topic in many coastal communities from St Augustine Beach up to Neptune Beach.
Now, Atlantic Beach commissioners are ready to move forward with their own paid parking program. Unlike some other cities, these plans are still in the early stages.
On Monday night, commissioners had their first major discussion on paid parking. While many of the details are still up for discussion, one thing is clear – city leaders want paid parking.
According to city leaders, 60-70 spots at the Beaches Town Center could become paid parking spots. The beach access roads on 19th, 18th and 10th streets are also being considered.
The hope is to ease some of the congestion in the area. The city would add parking kiosks , where people could pay with a card, or by app. The biggest question going forward is who will operate the machines?
Neptune Beach is also moving forward with its own parking program- which would also cover the Beaches Town center. Unveiled last month, the city would charge $2.50 an hour – or $35 a day.
Atlantic Beach commissioners talked about having the same rate structure as Neptune Beach to avoid confusion.
There are some restrictions.
The city can’t set aside any spots and make them resident only. It can give locals a discount. At this point – the city hasn’t come up with a number for how much that might be.
Commissioners plan to hold a series of public meetings to get feedback.