Article Courtesy of The Miami Herald
By Joey Flechas
Published July 31, 2016
Parking at South Pointe Park, Miami Beach's southernmost
park and beach access, is often difficult for beachgoers when contractors
working in nearby condo towers park their vans there for the day.
Beginning Monday, the
city will ticket parked commercial vehicles to encourage
workers to find accommodations at the buildings they are
servicing.
According to analysis by the Beach’s parking department, an
average of 30 to 40 commercial vehicles park in the lot’s
metered spots each day. Officials originally planned to
start enforcement earlier in July, but local property
managers and condo associations raised concerns. The warning
period was extended to Monday, Aug. 1.
“We provided information about other parking facilities in
the area which have the same rates, hours of operation but
are a short distance away,” said Saul Frances, Miami Beach’s
parking director. “I would add that we have seen
contractor/construction vehicle parking significantly
decrease in the South Pointe parking lot since the signs
were posted. We certainly appreciate their voluntary
compliance.” |
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Signs have been posted at the South Pointe Park
parking lot to warn commercial vehicles not to park there.
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Even with the extra heads-up, individual condo owners
might run into problems when they call in services workers. Buildings
typically accommodate contractors who work on building-wide issues, but
units owners who call the cable guy or want to remodel could have issues.
“This is going to be a huge inconvenience for every individual condo owner
who’s going to get a call from the plumber saying they can’t find a parking
spot,” said Ronald Starkman, president of the Portofino South Pointe Master
Homeowners Association. “What we’d like to see is the city be a little bit
more flexible and allocate some spaces.”
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