City of Orlando increasing fines for parking violations

ORLANDO, Fla. (FOX 35 WOFL) - The City of Orlando is increasing the fines for five parking violations from $15 to $20 starting May first.

On Monday night, Orlando city commissioners voted to increase the fines for parking at an expired meter, parking overtime in limited authorized zones, failing or refusing to pay a parking fee, parking over the line, and parking a vehicle without a current license plate or validation sticker.

Madison Mance works in downtown Orlando and said she is not happy with the increase. “It’s a tremendous amount, especially for the people who work down here. It’s not every once in a while that we’re getting a parking violation.”

Mance said she has gotten at least 15 parking tickets over the last six years. “Especially working a bartending job or shop job, your nightshift people don’t always show up on-time or things happen therefore I’m five minutes late getting to the meter so I have to pay more,” she explained.

Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer said this is the first increase for parking violations in about a decade. “I don’t think people will even notice the increase,” he said. Most parking violations in Orlando have a penalty fee of $30 or higher.

Mayor Dyer said the extra money will help pay for the LYMMO bus service downtown. He said the money will also help the city fund other transportation needs in the downtown area after several parking spaces were lost to the I-4 Ultimate construction. “We have parking issues right now. Parking has gone away under I-4 and some other areas so this will be able to help us with that.”