A Charleston, South Carolina, attorney’s parking ticket dispute has turned into a viral TikTok saga that has exposed widespread issues with the city’s parking enforcement system.
The creator, known as hotmesquire (@hotmesquire16), documented her three-part battle with Charleston’s parking authority after receiving what she calls an illegitimate ticket despite properly paying for parking through the required app.
The initial video, posted Jan. 5, has garnered over 17,000 views as the creator detailed how she paid for two hours of downtown parking using the city-mandated Flowbird app, only to find a $14 ticket on her windshield just 14 minutes after parking. What started as frustration over a single ticket evolved into a broader investigation of systemic problems affecting Charleston residents.
The Initial Incident
In the first video, posted Jan. 5, hotmesquire explains, “I went downtown today, which I hate going downtown, but I digress,” hotmesquire begins in her first TikTok, speaking directly to the camera from her living room. “Anyway, I used that stupid Flowbird app that they make you use to park now and got a receipt, commenced my parking for two hours at 2:58 p.m., which would mean my parking ended at 4:58 p.m.”…