Monday, April 7, 2014

Decal Parking at Lake Worth Beach

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The lack of resident decal parking spaces has become a huge problem. One problem is a percentage of people who just will NOT follow the rules. I guess they are screaming the loudest just like those out of state/country Snowbirds who believe we owe them a living. One idiotic driver actually cut me off so that he could get to a space that didn't even exist.
Here were four cars in a full lot. There could have been many more--probably were. No tickets were seen; not a ticket attender in sight. The biggest abuse of our lot is on weekends.
Opening up residential decal permits to non-residents who own property here has to be the worst decision this year, or at least it ranks high on the list. During the winter Season, it will be very difficult for residents to park in their own lot as Snowbirds come here for our wonderful beach and a cheap vacation. It's easier to give-in to them than to say "no."
Residential parking decals have always been a benefit to residents and the point was to only have it a nominal fee as residents live here all year round, it's their beach and they actually use the beach and spend money there 12 months out of the year. Now this commission has stuck a dagger into their eye. They have made it virtually impossible to find a parking spot on weekends and holidays during high Season. They have handed over our 50 residential parking spots to Snowbirds, squeezing out the residents. Even when we had unlimited parking at the beach, Snowbirds were in a different category of parking decal; they paid double.
Now the city wants to charge the residents $40 and the Snowbirds $60 in order to use 50 spaces, a parking lot that was negotiated by former commissioner Cara Jennings for the residents. When we accepted the $5 million in bond money that we had been paying on since 2004, the county would not allow Lake Worth to open up the entire parking area for decal users. Even though it was our money, there were strings--30 years of them to be exact.

Common sense was not used by this commission. It was the easy way out to quiet the raving Snowbirds crying "foul" and "unfair," people who are in our city for a short time during the year and used the argument that they pay taxes.  So do business owners who are no more residents than Snowbirds.  Capitulating to the protester who pays property taxes but is a non-resident--the commission did not know how to deal with their organized outrage.  I can hear it now from the legal department--"oh, give in to them--we don't need anymore possible  litigious problems...we want all this garbage off our plates." There was even some Snowbird nut case who spoke in front of the commission who said it was "unfair" they couldn't vote here. And it is a slap down to year round residents after decades of decal parking permits given to them as a benefit. But this dais knows best.

The mayor says that this commission is listening to the residents.  In this regard, they only listened to non-residents and a few of their more unreasonable constituents and one who only goes to Benny's on the Beach for an occasional breakfast and who parks in handicapped parking for free.

19 comments:

Anonymous said...

I think the reason part time residents will be allowed to purchase decals is for the added revenue. If 1000 are sold @ $60. thats $60,000. With that extra revenue more parking attendants can be hired for the weekends to catch people not following the rules.

Anonymous said...

That's definitely a reason, as pathetic as it is. This commission is all about REVENUE no matter what. It doesn't matter that people break the rules, don't follow our Ordinances/resolutions and bring Fido to the beach. As long as they have an ordinance in effect, they can say that they are actually doing something to turn this city around and making it better. They honestly do believe their own PR.

Anonymous said...

The parking guys work their butts off. We all see it. Theres only 4 of them if i counted correctly this past weekend. It cant be easy working under the public services admin today...

Anonymous said...

The parking guys work their butts off. We all see it. Theres only 4 of them if i counted correctly this past weekend. It cant be easy working under the public services admin today...


Uhhh not so much, as these pictures prove.Lazy butt Lake Worth employees,as usual.Can't wait until the first Frenchie cheepo buys their decal and then can't get a parking space. Lynn, can you please publish Szerdi's phone number for them?

Anonymous said...

Just came back from the beach, a beautiful day in paradise. Arrived @11:50am and there were only 16 cars in the decal parking. Left @1:20pm and there were only 18 cars in the decal parking. Doesn't seem to be a lack of resident decal parking spaces.

Anonymous said...

I believe we were talking about weekends and holidays, could be wrong anonymous. What a kill joy.

Weetha Peebull said...

Number of all Reps

John Szerdi (D#4)
561.586.1734

Pam Triolo (Mayor)
561.586.1735

Scott Maxwell (D#1)
561.586.1731

Christopher McVoy (D#2)
561.586.1732

Andy Amoroso (D#3)
561.586.1733

Michael Bornstein (CM)
561.586.1689

Email addresses are the 1st letter
of the 1st name and the entire last name @LakeWorth.org
Ex: JSzerdi@LakeWorth.org

Anonymous said...

If you own a home in our city and pay taxes here you have every right to the same privileges as every other homeowner. I don't think it's fair to say that you must live here 12 months a year to get a decal. My friends have a condo in Naples and they use it whenever they want and plan to retire their. They get city decal parking just like everyone else. This encourages folks to buy and it keeps property values up. Does it really make any difference given the fact that 50 spaces was never enough for everyone. So I say, you pay your taxes you get a decal. That's fair.

Anonymous said...

If you go to any beach in Florida on a WEEKEND or HOLIDAY in SEASON on a wonderful sunny day all parking lots will be full.
If you want a parking spot, get there before 10:30am!
I have always found available spaces in the decal parking lot before 10:30am weekends and holidays. If I came to our beach at 12:00pm I would not expect to find a parking spot in any of the parking lots.

Anonymous said...

we need to higer more police to arrest people that bring dogs to our beach and park ileagally.

Anonymous said...

I've seen parking attendants ticketing cars without decals that were illegally parked in the resident parking area.

Anonymous said...

there are so many nitwits running our city. there are also a group of parrots who go along with the joke and who would never admit logic in any argument on this blog just for spite.

Anonymous said...

I confirm the parking guys writing tickets on Sunday. He was there when i got to the beach,and when i left hours later. Even shooewed non decal drivers away to the other lots. 2 Sundays in a row i waited only a few minutes for someone to walk down and move their car and he directed me into my parking space. My hats off to that parking guy

Anonymous said...

^ thats far beyond the truth. You obviously arent a regular at the LW beach. Shame on you

Anonymous said...

Lynn, Please get you facts straight for one time. This Commission did not set the rules for the resident parking. the previos Commission accepted the County's $5M. The current Commission had no choice in the matter as the project was underway. Do to say this Commission neogiated the parking is absolutely WRONG. Get it right before posting your information..

Lynn Anderson said...

It would be really great if YOU, anonymous at 1:46, could read, write and understand. YOU CAN'T SEEM TO DO THAT or see beyond your love for this commission..
NO WHERE ON EARTH HAVE I EVER SAID THAT THIS COMMISSION NEGOTIATED THE PARKING SPACES WITH THE COUNTY.

But what this commission can do, anonymous, is stop being so ridiculous and giving away decal parking spaces to non-residents...snowbirds who are only property owners.

DO YOU GET IT YET???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

And PS, get your facts straight before you sound off over here.

Anonymous said...

Long time resident (homesteaded). I love the beach, the new casino is great, I find myself at the beach much more often now. So often that I might buy a sticker (never bought one before as I like to walk or bike over most of the time, but I recognize that not all our residents can do so).

The best thing our city ever did was to redo the beach, and taking the county money was worth the loss of the park in any spot with a sticker deal (in my opinion). It makes sense that if we take a bunch of county money, which we did, then we can't keep parking so favored to city residents. And, frankly we need the money from the parking revenue too, so it makes sense to keep the sticker parking area limited.

I only go to the beach on the weekend, because I work full time, and every time I am there, I check out the resident lot parking, I've not seen it full yet, but that doesn't mean that it isn't.

I think this commission should have charged the non resident property owners at least double what residents pay, but otherwise I think it makes good sense to allow property owners to get stickers.

Now that our beach is super popular its going to be tougher to park, but I say that is a good thing.

kc said...

Bravo anony at 2:43!!
Just plain old common sense w/out the emotion. Thank you.!

Lynn Anderson said...

It was NOT county money...it was BOND money that we have been paying on for 10 years. There never should have been strings. Burt Aaronson wanted to take it away from us. But some of you miss the point of 50 spaces and selling 2,000. Insanity in action.