It’s getting more expensive to illegally park in Tallahassee. Cars parked incorrectly will cost owners more money to get back.
Finding available parking in and around Tallahassee, is often a game of chance. Now the stakes are getting higher. A wrong move could cost drivers an additional $22, or more. Ron Mowrey is an attorney for the city’s towing companies.
“I’d ask you look at the ordinance itself. It was adopted in '05, there’ve been no increases since '05, its 11 years later, now ’16 is coming up on us. We’re asking for an increase," he recently told the Tallahassee City Commission.
It will now cost $110 for a driver to get their car back, up from $88. That’s for people illegally parked on private property. Storage fees are also going up by $10 and administrative fees, are up to $45, a $12 increase. The group most likely to get hit by the increases, are the city’s college students.
“I’m not here to argue the merits of the case, however, with 40-thousand students, this is a very important student issue, and I’m sure if you poll students, towing is something they’re very concerned about," said Florida State’ University Student Government member and sophomore, James Doyle.
But City Commissioner Curtis Richardson frames the increase as a boost to small businesses.
“So they can give their employees a raise, or provide health insurance—even hire more people. That’s what we’re trying to accomplish," he said.
It may be of little consolation to the person who comes out to find their car missing, but there’s a small caveat: people who pay their fees in cash will get a $5 break.
