ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – With just over a month until the popular Nights of Lights event begins, the city of St. Augustine is taking steps to improve parking for those working downtown during the holiday season.
Nights of Lights, which runs from Nov. 15 through Jan. 11, draws large crowds to the historic city, often causing parking challenges. This year, instead of adding more visitor parking, city officials are focusing on providing additional parking for employees working in the area during the event.
Flagler College has partnered with the city to offer parking spaces specifically for downtown workers. Assistant City Manager Reuben Franklin explained that 250 employees will be able to purchase a $50 parking pass valid from Dec. 13 to Jan. 4 at Flagler College.
“It’s one of the busiest times of the year for the city with Nights of Lights,” Franklin said. “So this opens up to 250 spaces that we can use.”
In addition to the Flagler College option, the City Commission has approved converting some public parking lots, including the Tokes and Granada lots, to workforce permit parking. This will provide more parking options for employees outside the Flagler College pass dates.
Mayor Nancy Sikes-Kline noted that last year’s event was unexpectedly busy, causing gridlock throughout downtown. She said the workforce parking program is one of several new initiatives aimed at improving the event experience.
“Sometimes, you know, troubles bring opportunities, so this is a great opportunity for us to not only work with the college but also to help provide some of that needed parking for the employees downtown,” Mayor Sikes-Kline said.
She added that she hopes this program will become successful and that it can be expanded further in the future.