Beginning October 1, the City of Key West will begin a new residential parking program in Old Town aimed at ensuring marked residential parking spaces are reserved for residents.
The new green residential permits cost just $10 a year. They will be available, beginning in October, at the Monroe County Tax Assessor’s office at the Harvey Government Center. Applicants will need to show proof of residency in Key West as well as a driver’s license and vehicle registration in order to obtain the residential parking permit.
Old Town has over 1000 parking spaces marked as residential. Eligible vehicles will have exclusive rights to these spaces. The permits are available to residents, real estate property owners, military personnel stationed in Key West, seasonal residents who reside within the city for over four months of the year, and business vehicles affiliated with a business licensed in the city.
Enforcement of the new residential permit parking will begin in October. City parking officers will be warning violators of the new program and using that month as a period of education regarding the new permits. However, in November they will begin issuing tickets for unauthorized vehicles that park in marked residential spaces.
The new parking permit does not affect in any way the 750 unmarked spaces or the 60 handicapped parking spaces. Downtown workers who are not eligible for the permits are encouraged to explore the special $25 a month permit at the Park N Ride on Caroline Street.
Permits will need to be renewed every October. All other parking regulations remain unaffected by this permit program. For example, no boat, trailer, RV, or vehicle over 20 feet in length is allowed to park on-street or in municipal lots. Additionally, City code requires that all vehicles parked on the street must be moved every 72 hours.
[livemarket market_name="KONK Life LiveMarket" limit=3 category=“” show_signup=0 show_more=0]
Did anyone bother ask the thousands of people who will be affected, those taxpayers who will need to spend both their time and money to stand in line and pay to park in front of their homes?
Other than inconveniencing the residents of this community, the as-yet unexplored effect will be diminished access to the 750 unmarked spaces because they will probably be filled with the vehicles belonging to residents unwilling to play the game.
A fairer way of going about this, if residential parking is really the goal and not generating another set of revenue streams for City Hall, is to have parking passes sent to homeowners along with their annual tax assessments.