From shopping to night life and great food, St. Petersburg has something for everyone.
The city even offers some free parking downtown, as long as you don’t stay for more than two hours. The time limit, though, has some drivers confused.
On Friday there will be a second hearing after a St. Petersburg judge called the ordinance unconstitutional earlier this week.
Attorney Christopher Sierra filed suit against the city after receiving several new clients who had received parking tickets that they felt they didn’t deserve. He says the problem with the ordinance is that it’s too vague.
According to the free parking ordinance, you can park in a two or three hour marked spot for free, but once the time is up, you have to move. Parking in a different free spot, however, has many restrictions.
The ordinance doesn’t allow you to park again on the same block, but without any signs and without a clear definition of what is considered a “block,” it’s leaving many people in downtown St. Pete confused.
“The reason I got the ticket is because you’re supposed to move to a different block," said Connor Christensen, a St. Pete resident who’s currently fighting a parking ticket. "I didn’t know that. I know a lot of other people around here have gotten tickets, didn’t know that. It just doesn’t seem like common knowledge."
Officials with the city aren’t saying much while litigation is ongoing, but the director of the parking department told Bay News 9 the original intent of the ordinance was to make sure there were open spots for customers, and employees weren’t taking up the free parking for their entire shift.
As of right now, the city is still issuing parking tickets to people who violate the free parking ordinance.