Downtown and St. Armands business owners are pushing the Sarasota City Commission to undo expanded paid-parking hours they say are driving customers to University Town Center and other free-parking destinations. The commission is set to hold a workshop on Monday, August 31, to revisit the policy, according to Commissioner Jen Ahearn-Koch.

The expanded enforcement, which took effect in late June, stretches metered parking on Main Street and Palm Avenue from 8 a.m. to midnight Monday through Saturday, with Sunday enforcement starting at 1 p.m. The old window ran 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. weekdays only. Citation fines went up $5 across the board. The hourly rate stayed at $1.50.

Dozens of business owners, landlords and residents packed the commission chamber on Monday, July 6, to demand a repeal.

"Downtown businesses are being forced to compete with one hand tied behind our backs," Ronnie Shugar, a downtown landlord with more than 20,000 square feet of retail space and owner of Sugar Champagne Bar, told commissioners that day. Shugar announced he is organizing a petition among commercial property owners and retailers to bring the matter back for a formal vote.

Chris Voelker, owner of State Street Eating House + Cocktails, told SNN on July 17 that the policy has already cost her restaurant business during an already slow season. She said customers are choosing "the beast in the east" — University Town Center — where parking is free.

Why the city expanded the hours

The commission approved the longer enforcement window on Monday, March 23, choosing it over a 50% rate hike that would have pushed the meter price from $1.50 to $2.25 per hour. The city's combined downtown and St. Armands parking funds ran a $270,784 loss in the current fiscal year, and without changes the shortfall was projected to reach roughly $2.8 million by fiscal year 2028, according to city budget documents cited at the March meeting.

That gap is driven by storm-related revenue losses, aging garages needing $750,000 in elevator replacements at both the State Street and Palm Avenue structures, a $650,000 overhaul of on-street meters, and the parking fund's subsidy of the free Bay Runner trolley at more than $924,000 a year.

The city cannot simply eliminate paid parking downtown. A bond covenant on the St. Armands Circle parking garage — roughly $16 million in debt — requires the city to charge for parking there, and an agreement ties downtown enforcement to St. Armands enforcement.

Commissioners signal a rethink

Commissioner Kyle Battie told SNN on July 17 that the commission will reach out to business owners before the workshop. "It's probably something that should have been done at the onset," Battie said. "We should be talking to one another, we should be working together."

Commissioner Liz Alpert suggested at the July 6 meeting that the commission consider reverting to the old hours while raising the hourly rate instead. Parking is not free, Alpert said, and somebody has to bear the cost.

Ahearn-Koch, who described herself as the architect of the March compromise, confirmed the August 31 workshop date in an email published July 19. City Manager Karie Friling said in a separate email that she has asked staff to add parking to the workshop agenda and develop options for the commission to consider.

What's next

The commission workshop is set for Monday, August 31, at 10 a.m. Residents and business owners can contact commissioners directly or attend the workshop to provide input on whether the city should roll back hours, raise rates, or pursue alternatives such as parking validation programs and free garage hours.