FERNANDINA BEACH, Fla. – A proposal from the city of Fernandina Beach to implement paid parking in the historic downtown district has gotten major pushback from the community.
Residents overflowed City Hall for the public town hall that discussed the pressing issue, and it was standing room only.
“Most of our businesses are in the premium areas, and most of the tourists visit the premium areas. Most of our culture is in the premium areas, and so it is going to absolutely ruin the cool vibe of our city,” Alexandra Lajoux said.
City commissioners are the ones pushing the proposal, which has drawn opposition in the form of a petition that has garnered more than 6,000 signatures.
The majority of the outspoken residents were against paid parking, except for one person who was booed by the crowd.
In part, the petition reads:
“For small business owners, this decision could lead to devastating consequences. Many shops and restaurants in our historic downtown area survive on the ease and accessibility currently provided by the free parking arrangement. Introducing parking fees could deter both locals and visitors alike, potentially driving them to other areas where they can park freely.”
Those downtown business owners have been among the most vocal opponents of paid parking.
Marisol Triana, owner of Hola! Cuban Cafe, has said that around 37 businesses would be impacted and that it could put the business owners’ livelihoods in jeopardy.
One worker told News4JAX reporter Briana Brownlee that she shouldn’t have to pay to go to work.
Another concern from businesses in the historic district is how it will impact the clientele.
“I feel it will deter people, more so locals, to come here, and also tourists are going to be deterred from coming here, because they don’t know what’s here, so if they park, they may be like, ‘I don’t know how long I need to pay for it.’ So they are also going to limit the amount of time they will spend at a business,” said Raven Crews with Vintage Donuts.
Some Fernandina Beach residents said they are concerned that adding parking meters to downtown will alter the area’s charm.
The backlash against the plan caught the attention of the city of Fernandina Beach, which posted a video to its Facebook page attempting to debunk what it called rumors.
The video states:
- Parking meters won’t disrupt the charm of the historic downtown because paid parking is now a largely mobile platform
- If this proposal is approved, the funding from the paid parking will go downtown
- Downtown parking was never free because it is currently funded by city taxpayers
Fernandina Beach resident Jim Flournoy said he agrees with the city.
“Paid parking is a revenue stream that will offset some of the property taxes to help maintain the downtown infrastructure,” he said. “For folks who use the city, you know, tourists or what have you, just contribute a little bit to offset these property taxes, then that kind of helps everybody.”
Fernandina Beach City Manager Sarah Campbell said the city is looking for ways to generate money for major upcoming projects.
“One is the protection of the downtown with a sea wall, and that sea wall is expected to be in the $20 to $25 million range. And then the normal operating budget of the city wouldn’t cover a large capital expense of that size,” Campbell said.
The city plans to start interviewing parking firms in July, then will decide whether to move forward with the proposal.
