Mayor D.C. Reeves unveiled changes to Pensacola’s parking system during his Tuesday press conference, with new resident-friendly policies set to take effect Oct. 1. The overhaul aims to provide substantial savings for city taxpayers while maintaining revenue from visitors.
Historic Low Rates for Residents
The centerpiece of the new program offers city residents a 50% discount on all paid parking through the Park Mobile app. Residents will pay just 50 cents per hour with no additional fees—creating what Mayor Reeves calls “the lowest that a city resident’s ever paid for any type of paid parking since we instituted paid parking.”
Previously, residents paid 50 cents per hour plus fees, making the new flat rate genuinely beneficial. The discount applies 24 hours a day, seven days a week, in every neighborhood with paid parking throughout the city.
Streamlined Verification Process: To qualify for resident discounts, the city will implement a third-party verification system requiring documentation such as utility bills or backend address verification. This ensures the program benefits only those who contribute to the city’s tax base and infrastructure maintenance.
“We owe an obligation to city residents,” Mayor Reeves explained, emphasizing that approximately 80% of parking revenue comes from non-residents. “Our goal is to collect funds from folks who are not paying for that infrastructure as a user fee.”
Senior-Friendly Solutions
Recognizing technology barriers faced by older residents, the city is launching a pilot program specifically for residents over 65. These senior permits cost just $10 monthly and are limited to one vehicle per address.
The game-changing feature: seniors won’t need to use any app. Their license plates will be registered directly in the system, allowing them to park in any paid space as easily as pulling into their driveway. As long as the vehicle and license plate remain registered and unchanged, parking is automatically authorized.
“The pain point hasn’t really been cost—it’s been technology,” Mayor Reeves noted, highlighting how this addresses both affordability and accessibility concerns for senior citizens.
The updated system will also reinstate on-street day and night permits, available to both city residents and non-residents, though with limited availability in some cases.
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Rick Outzen is the publisher/owner of Pensacola Inweekly. He has been profiled in The New York Times and featured in several True Crime documentaries. Rick also is the author of the award-winning Walker Holmes thrillers. His latest nonfiction book is “Right Idea, Right Time: The Fight for Pensacola’s Maritime Park.”
