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Commissioners reject countywide $150 parking fine for beach parking after debate on enforcement and equity
Summary
The Board voted to deny an ordinance that would have raised the fine for noncriminal parking violations on county-owned beach properties to $150, citing fairness and enforcement concerns.
The Manatee County Board of County Commissioners voted Tuesday to deny an ordinance that would have raised the county's noncriminal parking penalty for certain parking violations on county-owned beach properties from $25 to $150.
The ordinance, proposed by the county's Public Safety director, Jody Fisk, was intended to deter illegal parking on shoulders and in emergency access ways around beaches where illegal parking occasionally impedes emergency vehicles and ADA access. Fisk said neighboring counties have higher fines: Pinellas County ($150), Sarasota County ($100) and Hillsborough County ($125). She described the increase as a deterrent rather than a revenue source.
Why commissioners voted no: Commissioner Bob McCann moved to deny the ordinance. Opponents argued the $150 fine was too high, could be regressive for county residents, and raised questions about whether code enforcement officers or deputies should be charging the fines. Commissioner Amanda Ballard said a $75 fine would be a sufficient deterrent; Commissioner George Cruz said the goal should be to get zero tickets issued and saw the measure as a deterrent if paid parking spreads to nearby municipalities.
Outcome: The motion to deny the ordinance passed by voice vote, 5-1, with Commissioner McCann leading the motion and Commissioner Jason Bearden seconding. The board's chair, George Cruz, recorded a no vote on the denial. Commissioner Tal Sadiq was absent when the vote count was announced.
Implementation and next steps: The denial leaves existing $25 penalties in place for county-owned beach properties. Commissioners discussed alternative approaches including increased enforcement by the sheriff's office, selective use of code enforcement, and targeted paid parking by municipalities; none of those items were adopted in this meeting.
Context and public comment: Speakers at the meeting included beach visitors, veterans and residents who argued both for and against higher fines. Some residents said the fine was overly punitive for local families, while others supported stronger deterrents to protect emergency access.
Ending: The board decided not to raise the countywide fine. Commissioners asked staff to monitor beach access issues and explore targeted options for enforcement and public outreach instead of a single countywide increase.
