Today – Monday, June 1 – marks the start of Sarasota’s new extended hours for downtown paid parking.
And I have three thoughts on it that I still can’t get out of my head.
Ready?
Did the Sarasota city commissioners wimp out?
Yes.
Of course, they did.
I mean, the original plan called for downtown paid parking hours to be extended to midnight across the board – seven days a week – with a total end to free parking on Sundays.
And that made sense when you look at all the research that shows longer paid parking hours:
Hey, that all sounds good to me.
But while the city commission kept the extended hours in place Monday through Saturday, it bowed down to allow free parking on Sundays from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. after pressure from downtown churches.
In the process, the city will turn its back on raising an estimated $300,000 a year in additional revenue for its parking division.
Huh?
Wait . . .
Wasn’t raising money to keep Sarasota’s parking division in the black – and allow it to finance future capital improvements – the reason for adjusting the downtown paid parking hours in the first place?
Come on now.
If that kind of backdown isn’t a wimp out, what is?
Everyone should pay – or no one should pay
Sure, I get the passion behind the effort by downtown church groups to protect free Sunday parking.
In fact, the Rev. Charleston Wilson – who is rector of the downtown Church of the Redeemer and someone I admire a lot – made an eloquent case for keeping free Sunday parking in a recent guest column.
But if you’re going to carve out an exception on paid parking to suit one segment of downtown Sarasota’s community, how can you justify telling everyone else there are no exceptions for them?
None at all?
Look, I’m sure there are numerous downtown Sarasota restaurant owners who aren’t crazy about the city extending paid parking to midnight for their patrons all week long – including Sunday nights, by the way.
Yet they’re going to have to just eat it – and just deal with it.
And I’m sure there are numerous downtown Sarasota fashion and clothing shop owners who aren’t thrilled about the new parking policy’s effect on their customers, either.
Yet they’re going to have to just wear it – and just deal with it.
All of which leads to this question:
If we want to promote a spirit of unity in downtown Sarasota – and we should – how does “Here’s some free parking for them, but not for y’all” help that vibe?
It doesn’t.
Give this another look in a year
Hey, this one is pretty self-explanatory.
Over the next year, the city commission should closely examine how this new downtown paid parking policy is working out – and it should be honest about whether it actually is working.
After all, “Free for me, but not for thee” usually isn’t the greatest message to send in general.
And it sure isn’t when it comes to paid parking in downtown Sarasota.
Herald-Tribune Opinion Editor Roger Brown can be reached at roger.brown@heraldtribune.com. Follow him on X at RBrown_HTOpin.
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Did Sarasota politicians wimp out on downtown paid parking? | Opinion
Reporting by Roger Brown, Sarasota Herald-Tribune / Sarasota Herald-Tribune
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