Lakeland Parking Fines To Increase

LAKELAND, FL – Starting next month, the City of Lakeland will start increasing fines for parking violations.

Starting Tuesday, Aug. 1, parking fines in Lakeland will increase to $25 for all parking offenses, up from $15. Also, habitual parking offenders can receive up to three violations per day instead of two.

Violators that park in a disabled parking space without a valid permit will also see fines increase from $100 to $250 for each infraction.

The City Commission increased the fines for parking infractions after hearing a report from staff.

“We are experiencing a high demand for parking in downtown Lakeland because the increase in businesses in the area and the addition of new residential projects,” said Angelo Rao, the manager of Traffic Operations. “These factors along with our event and visitor traffic put parking at a premium.”

There are currently 547 on-street parking spaces in downtown Lakeland along with 764 parking lot spaces and 1,542 city-owned parking garage spaces available to the public.

“With these parking spaces shared more frequently, there will be additional opportunities for customers to enjoy their downtown shopping and dining experiences,” said Julie Townsend, the executive director of the Lakeland Downtown Development Authority.

While parking violators will see increased fines, they will get a small break in the amount of time they can take to pay a fine. Starting Aug. 1, the time to pay parking tickets will be 21 days, increasing from 10 days.

Parking Service Attendants recently have been notifying violators when issuing a parking ticket with an added notation: “Please not for future reference, effective Aug. 1, 2017, parking violations will increase to $25 and disabled parking infractions will be increased to $250.”

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