A group of downtown business owners and residents walked out of Sarasota’s parking open house Monday, Aug. 24, after saying they had been told to submit written questions rather than speak publicly at a microphone.

The protesters gathered outside City Hall, 1565 First St., calling the format illegitimate. The city announced the open house in early August, but attendees said they expected genuine dialogue after months of public frustration over paid parking enforcement.

“This right here today is shady, this is not how this is supposed to be,” a business owner told SNN outside the building.

Another woman said she had prepared a full presentation. “I have to rewrite my entire presentation into questions. Why can’t I just offer construction suggestions?” she said.

Inside the meeting, parking division leaders acknowledged the system is not paying for itself. The city said the St. Armands Parking Garage accounts for 32% of the parking budget. The garage cost $15.6 million to build and averaged about $212,000 in annual revenue from 2019 through 2025, compared with projections of $751,000, according to Sarasota Magazine reporting. The city still owes at least $12.1 million on the project, with annual debt payments of about $1.1 million through 2038.

As we reported Aug. 21, St. Armands merchants pay nearly $275,000 a year in assessments toward that debt.

The effects have rippled through downtown. Aaron McGloshem of Mattison’s City Grille, which has served downtown Sarasota for 20 years, told WFLA that Sunday crowds vanished after the city extended enforcement hours June 29. Customers told him they could not afford $36 to $40 in parking on top of a meal, he said, and many shifted to University Town Center or Siesta Key, where parking is free.

The City Commission voted 5-0 Monday, Aug. 3, to suspend the extended hours after a nine-hour meeting packed with angry merchants. Vice Mayor Kathy Kelley Ohlrich said at that meeting that commissioners failed to consult business owners, retailers, residents and tourists before expanding enforcement. “We talked to ourselves,” she said.

Commissioner Kyle Battie, the only commissioner who voted against the original expansion, attended the Aug. 24 open house. He said the commission heard the community’s concerns and would seek a better solution.

Ideas offered at the event included selling the St. Armands garage, eliminating meters, moving enforcement to the police department and charging for the city trolley, according to Longboat Key News coverage.

No votes were taken. Staff will compile the input into a package for the City Commission’s dedicated parking workshop Aug. 31. The first meeting at which commissioners can formally act is Sept. 7.