Visitors to downtown Sarasota and St. Armands Circle won’t be paying more to park in paid on-street and garage spaces, but hours will be extended and citation fees increased as the city’s Parking Division seeks to achieve operational solvency.
As an enterprise fund, the Parking Division, under the direction of General Manager Broxton Harvey, is intended to cover its own expenses with revenues generated. During their March 23 meeting, however, city commissioners were warned, unless changes are made, of upcoming annual deficits approaching and exceeding $2 million, largely because of impending capital expenses to replace aging equipment (see box) and lost revenues from past natural disasters.
Opting not to increase hourly rates and monthly parking permit fees, the City Commission unanimously voted to extend hours of paid parking in city-owned spaces and to increase fines for citations, which combined are projected to generate more than $2.7 million in additional revenue…