By Angie Francalancia
Depending on whom you’re asking, the new parking meters in Boca Raton’s Mizner Park and at the city’s beaches are either a boon or the bane of residents’ travels.
Five months after the city installed new meters at what Mayor Susan Welchel calls the “primo” spots near the beach and in Mizner Park, one thing is certain: The program is a boon to the city’s coffers, bringing in more than $250,000 from the $1.50-per-hour fees. About 75 percent of that comes from Mizner Park.
And the average 25 to 30 parking citations the city is writing each day has added another roughly $150,000, Assistant City Manager Mike Woika said. Contributing to that pot: Mayor Welchel and council members Constance Scott and Anthony Majhess, who each got parking tickets this summer in Mizner Park.
There were 129 meters installed in Mizner Park, and there were 120 installed at two beach areas — Red Reef Park West and the Palmetto Park pavilion. But those in Mizner have brought in about 75 percent of the money — or about $187,500 — while the beach meters accounted for only about $62,500, Woika said.
But installing the meters along Plaza Real in Mizner Park and at the eastern end of Palmetto Park Road near the beach accomplished what some residents and merchants said they needed: turnover.
“In Mizner Park and in some areas of the beach, there were people that would take those parking spots and leave a car there all day long,” Welchel said. “In the case of Mizner, they often worked in Mizner Park. They would simply pull up to work, take a spot right in front. There would be no turnover for the customers.”
Welchel said she’s heard from merchants who appreciate that there’s rotation among the cars now, she said. Others, she conceded, disagree.
“We have people say to us, ‘Ya’ll ruined Mizner Park because there’s nobody parking there.’ I go to Mizner Park a lot and those premium parking spaces are being utilized every single day.
“And this is very important,” she added. “We have over 2,000 free parking places in the downtown, specifically in Mizner Park.”
The free parking is in four garages located just behind the main shopping area, and they’re available to anyone, Woika said.
For people using the meters, there’s been a little learning curve because there’s one meter box for roughly every eight parking spaces, meaning the meter might not be adjacent to a person’s car.
The boxes allow more options for payments than just feeding in coins, though.
“These are not your grandmother’s parking meters,” Welchel said. “There are a lot of people who have been a little confused by exactly how you pay for your spot and where you go to pay for your spot. That’s a reasonable concern. But Boca is one of the last cities in South Florida to install parking meters in the downtown. I would be much more concerned if we did not have 2,000 free available parking spaces.”
Boca Raton Budget
42,431 taxable parcels
2010-2011 2011-2012
Tax Rate $3.02* $3.15*
Operating Budget $161.3 million $160.4 million
General Fund Reserves $22.6 million $19.4 million
% of Budget 14% 12%
Reserves used to balance budget $3.5 million $1.3 million
*Tax rate per $1,000 of taxable property value
NOTE: Boca Raton residents also pay $0.36 for debt service and $1.01 for some park services by the Greater Boca Raton Beach and Park District. Total combined tax rate for 2011-2012 is $4.52
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