ORLANDO, Fla. – If you park in downtown Orlando, it could soon cost you even more money. The first reading of a new ordinance that would raise rates is set for Monday.
This comes after the parking division’s study shows that the current parking rates are outdated and not aligned with peer cities. It also shows that by modernizing on and off-street parking prices, it will improve parking availability and turnover. It states it should also enhance the overall experience.
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News 6’s Amy Russo went downtown to talk to drivers about this.
“I think it’s ridiculous,” said Santiago Torres. He has to park downtown on weekdays. He opts to choose the daily parking rate when parking, which is $15 a day. If this change is implemented, it would make it $20 a day. That’s $100 a week.
“I already pay for parking to go into work. If you think about it, who’s going to want to come and pay for parking to make money,” said Torres.
As the city is looking to bring more people downtown, Eric Walker says he believes this idea will do the opposite.
“I think it would be wise to make it more convenient for people to have a place to park their car so that they can visit more versus making it more expensive, which would drive people away,” said Walker. “It almost seems like it’s counterproductive in a sense.”
Walker actually has a business downtown. He loves it there but says he can’t keep up with the current price of parking. So, he’s being forced to move. He says he doesn’t want to, but has no other option.
“It set us back a lot. That is the prime reason why we’re leaving is because parking is just it’s just not working out the way we want it to. We don’t want to,” said Walker.
For a full breakdown of how much parking would cost in each area, click here.