Downtown Pensacola
Paid parking returns to downtown Pensacola on Oct. 5. City Parking and Constituent Services Director Lissa Dees joined me on Rick’s Blog Live to walk through what is changing, what is not and how to avoid a ticket.
- Dees said the free parking was a courtesy during construction. With the work wrapping up, the city is returning to managed parking so spaces closest to businesses turn over instead of being taken by the first driver who arrives at 8 a.m.
What’s Changing
- Higher rate on Friday nights and Saturdays: The city is proposing $1.75 for those periods, when occupancy is highest. All other rates stay the same.
- Council vote: The rate change needs City Council approval, scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 24.
- Free Mondays: The city is also asking council to make Mondays free.
- Already free: Sundays, federal holidays and about 60 percent of the city’s parking spaces are free all the time.
Discounts
Seniors: Anyone 65 or older can buy a senior permit for $10 a month, regardless of where they live. It is available for one month, three months or a year. Your tag number is registered, so you park in a city space and do not have to start a session.
- City residents: Residents get a rate of 75 cents an hour anywhere downtown through the ParkMobile app. You still start a parking session, but the app recognizes your registered tag. If you have more than one vehicle on your account, make sure the permitted one is selected.
How to sign up: Go to parkpensacola.com and click on the permit page. The city website links there too, but going directly saves a click.
Know Your Zone
Dees said the most common fear she hears is that people cannot tell city parking from private lots. The city worked with a sign design firm from Amsterdam to make city signage easier to spot.
- City parking zones always have two digits. If the app shows a zone with four or five numbers, it is not city parking.
- Private lots use red and green signs. Vehicles in red-zone lots can be booted.
Grace period: The city is running a warning program. Your first ticket will be a warning, and the second will probably be one too. By the third or fourth, Dees said, it is no longer an accident.
Jefferson Street Garage
The garage’s express pay system will not be ready Oct. 5. Cameras have been installed, but the rollout comes later. Once it is live, drivers who select express pay in ParkMobile will be billed automatically when the camera captures their tag entering and leaving. No phone or pay station needed.
Easiest Way to Pay
For regular downtown visitors, Dees recommends the ParkMobile app. Download it and set it up at home, not ten minutes before a show at the Saenger. Occasional visitors can still use a pay station with coins or a dollar bill. ParkMobile also works in other cities, though rates vary.
Where the Money Goes
Dees said parking revenue is reinvested downtown. Before paid parking was suspended, it funded a free trolley that ran on Friday and Saturday nights. It also covers repairs, maintenance, elevators and cleaning.
