Mexico Beach council discusses parking safety, DOT right-of-way and short-term signs ahead of tourist season

A lengthy council exchange focused on parking and traffic safety along Highway 98 and in the city’s tourist corridors. Council members described recurring seasonal parking and sight-line problems and discussed short-term options (temporary signage, 12–48 hour sticker enforcement) and long-term solutions (beautification, designated public parking areas, coordination with FDOT and neighboring jurisdictions to advance Back Beach Road/Gulf Coast Parkway).

One council member said an FDOT contact indicated Gulf Coast Parkway funding for the full corridor could be years away—"you'll have funding in 2040," the member quoted—so the city should pursue a localized Back Beach Road solution with regional partners and lobbyists. Councilors suggested two immediate actions: ask staff and law enforcement to place temporary signs in known problem areas (for safety and sight-line improvement) and prepare a parking-item agenda for the next meeting to identify five candidate public-parking sites (Parker Park, Canal Parkway among them). The council also discussed a recent sanitation amnesty and the rollout of new blue trash cans as part of reducing obstructions.