We, the undersigned residents, workers, customers, and business owners of Fort Lauderdale, call upon the City to reform its parking enforcement policies and related provisions of the Fort Lauderdale Code of Ordinances. Current practices have created undue hardships for workers, residents, and visitors. We seek fairness, clarity, and compassion in parking enforcement without compromising the City’s need for turnover and compliance.

 
Background
Fort Lauderdale’s municipal code, Chapter 26 (Traffic & Parking), governs all parking enforcement in city-owned lots, garages, and on-street spaces. These rules determine time limits, citation procedures, and fines. Under current law:

Sec. 26-157: Vehicles may be cited the moment a time limit or meter expires, and may even receive multiple tickets (every 2–3 hours) for one continuous overstay.
Sec. 26-158: It is illegal to remain beyond the posted maximum time even if additional time is paid — meaning “feeding the meter” or renewing via app is not allowed.
Sec. 26-111: Officers must place a citation on the vehicle, but drivers often report receiving mailed tickets days later without a windshield notice.
Sec. 26-91: Fines are set at $40 per overtime violation, with late fees of $15 after 30 days and another $20 after 45 days.
Sec. 26-161: Rates and maximum parking times are set for all city-owned lots, often capped at 3 hours with no renewal option.
These rules may serve turnover and revenue goals, but in practice they trap ordinary citizens in punitive cycles of fines, discourage business, and impose unfair costs on workers.

 
Issues We Face

• Multiple tickets for one mistake (Sec. 26-157) turn a single overstay into hundreds of dollars in fines.
• Zero grace period (Secs. 26-157 & 158) means even a 5-minute delay can trigger a $40 citation.
• Rigid maximum stays (Sec. 26-158 & 161) force patrons and employees to risk fines instead of simply paying for more time.
• Mailed citations without notice (Sec. 26-111) leave drivers blindsided by late fees.
• High fines and steep fee escalation (Sec. 26-91) punish brief lapses as harshly as intentional long-term violations.
• No protections for workers — employees of local businesses reliant on City-owned parking lots must either pay full meter rates every shift or risk ticketing, effectively reducing their wages.
   

Our Demands for Change

We call on the City Commission to amend Chapter 26 of the Code of Ordinances to:

• Stop excessive ticketing: Limit overtime violations to one ticket per vehicle per day (Sec. 26-157).
• Establish a grace period: Introduce a 5–10 minute grace period before citations are issued (Secs. 26-157 & 158).
• Allow time extensions: Permit drivers to pay to extend their stay beyond posted maximums when space is available (Secs. 26-158 & 161).
• Guarantee proper notice: Strengthen Sec. 26-111 to require windshield tickets whenever possible, and extend payment windows when citations are mailed.
• Make fines proportional: Reduce the base fine for offenses to $25, or adopt a graduated fine system. Cap fines for a single continuous violation. Simplify late fees to a single charge after 30 days (Sec. 26-91).
• Increase transparency: Require clear signage on maximum stays, grace periods, and citation procedures; ensure consistent enforcement across officers (Sec. 26-161).
• Protect local workers: Create a new section in Sec. 26-161 establishing free or reduced-cost employee parking permits for staff of businesses dependent on city-owned parking. This would reduce the hidden tax on workers, support local businesses, and ensure employees aren’t punished simply for coming to work.
   

Conclusion
Parking enforcement should exist to keep our streets accessible — not to trap residents, workers, and customers in endless fines. The changes above will preserve turnover, maintain order, and generate compliance without exploiting the very people who make Fort Lauderdale thrive.

We urge the City Commission to adopt these reforms, at minimum, and make Fort Lauderdale a leader in fair, humane, and worker-friendly parking policy.