Members of Apopka’s Parking Advisory Committee reviewed a drafted parking ordinance at their Monday, September 12, meeting, after which the Apopka Police Department will rework the document using the proposed suggestions in preparation for public commentary.
The committee hopes the document will be finalized at the end of the next Parking Advisory Committee meeting, which is scheduled for Monday, September 26, at 6:30 p.m. at City Hall.
Once the parking ordinance is finalized by the committee, it will go to City Council for a vote at a future date.
The biggest change in the proposed parking ordinance compared to the current parking ordinance is the allowance of street parking with restrictions, according to Police Chief Michael McKinley, who is heading up the parking committee.
At the September 12 meeting, the Parking Advisory Committee reviewed 19 pages of the city’s parking ordinance section by section with the Apopka Police Department.
Committee members asked questions and commented on each section.
According to Captain Randy Fernandez, some of the drafted sections of the ordinance haven’t changed from the current ordinance. The goal of the committee’s draft review was for substance.
The parking ordinance draft covered many aspects of parking including but not limited to the manner of stopping, standing or parking, obstructing traffic, under what circumstances parking is prohibited, parking of commercial vehicles, the issuing of loading zone permits, the removal of illegally parked, abandoned or disabled vehicles, and citations and penalties.
In the section covering the manner of stopping, standing or parking, vehicles have to park in accordance with whether the street is indicated for parallel or angle parking. In either case, the vehicle must be parked within 12 inches of the edge of the street.
Constantly addressed concerns at the Parking Advisory Committee meetings include using the parking ordinance as a one-size-fits-all jurisdiction on every subdivision in the city, and parking when residents invite guests for special occasions and get-togethers.
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