Special magistrate upholds parking citation for Deidre Douglas; respondent urges signage for overflow lot

The special magistrate for code enforcement on Feb. 13 upheld a $92 parking citation issued to Deidre Douglas for parking in a boat-trailer-only space on New Year's Eve.

Douglas, who gave her address as 15 Evergreen Place in Mims, Florida, told the hearing she “parked there” and that she was on a roughly 20-minute lunch break to smoke and use the restroom. “I was there for, like, 20 minutes,” she said, adding she believed the short stay would not be a problem.

City staff told the hearing the lot was crowded on Dec. 31 and that a patron complained about unauthorized vehicles in the trailer-only spaces. City staff said they told Douglas that she could park “directly across the street.” “It was packed,” the staff member said, and noted others also received citations that day.

Douglas said she had parked in that area before without being cited and that there were no signs indicating an overflow lot. “There’s nothing over there that states that,” she said, asking the city to consider posting signage so others would not receive similar citations.

The special magistrate found there was a violation and said the citation would be upheld. Speaking from the bench, the magistrate urged Douglas to direct requests about signage to city staff, noting that staff could address posting signs for overflow parking. The magistrate also explained the fine structure: the citation is typically $77 and rises to $92 after 15 days.

Douglas was told how to pay the citation and said she would do so. With no further participants, the hearing officer closed the matter and adjourned the meeting.