COCOA BEACH, Fla. – Locals could find fewer parking spots available by the beach as Westgate Cocoa Beach Resort employees park in spaces outside the lot at the Cocoa Beach Pier.
Friends brought a Facebook post about the issue to the attention of Cocoa Beach Community Correspondent James Sparvero.
The post came from someone who said they asked a worker why they parked on Pulsipher Avenue, not the pier’s parking lot.
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“Her exact response was, ‘Westgate bought all of us parking passes to park over here, so it forces people to pay for parking in the Westgate parking lot,’” the post read.
Sparvero asked Westgate Resorts if that was true. While waiting for a response on Wednesday, Sparvero went to the pier to talk to resort General Manager Andrew Spinner.
Spinner has been transparent with News 6 over the years, working on stories ranging from COVID to severe weather, but for this story, he didn’t want to talk.
At the Pulsipher spaces, an employee who was parking told Sparvero they used to park across State Road A1A at Our Saviour’s Catholic Community.
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They said they’re not allowed to park at the school anymore, so they got a parking pass and now they park on Pulsipher.
Sparvero asked the employee if Westgate told them to do that, but they weren’t comfortable answering.
Rob Wernsing lives in a condo building close to the pier and said he’s worried there will be fewer parking spaces available for the public.
“No question, it’s terrible,” Wernsing said. “It’s just a rough go for the employees, making them park further away and to pay. It’s just not right,” he said. “They should offer parking spaces for their employees at no cost. I mean, it’s ridiculous.”
Sparvero again reached out to Westgate’s team that handles questions from the media. As soon as News 6 and ClickOrlando.com receive a response, it will be added to this story.
If you’re headed to the pier, the parking in Westgate’s lot is free after 4 p.m. on weekdays and 5 p.m. on weekends.