- April 16, 2025
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A representative of Passport Inc. told the Flagler Beach City Commission that the company could implement a digital paid parking system in the city in 60 to 90 days.
But the commissioners are a long way from making a decision on whether to adopt a paid system for public parking. At the end of a workshop in which Passport representatives Alexandra Wells and Michael Prince provided details on the company’s platform and how it would benefit the city, commissioners James Sherman and Eric Cooley emphasized that this was just the start of future discussions.
“I assume we’ll have further conversations about this,” Commission Chair Sherman said as he was closing the workshop. “I assume this will be a pretty big talking point at strategic planning as we plan out the next five years or so.”
Cooley then explained that “this is a preliminary, preliminary, preliminary discussion. There’s no decisions being made imminently, and when there is, there’s going to be multiple meetings on paid parking. So, I don’t want anybody thinking the sky is falling or there is going to be a decision made immediately. There will be a lot of public input and this is going to be a very slow process.”
None of the commissioners provided an opinion on the issue during the hour and a half meeting, but about 16 residents, business owners and out-of-town visitors provided their views during public comment.
While some of the visitors said the beach should be free for everybody, most of the residents and business owners agreed that the city has a parking problem that needs to be addressed. Ted Barnhill, owner of Barhill’s Cafe, Bar & Grill, said there are tremendous parking issues during the day and in some areas all day. He advocated time limits in a zone south of State Road 100.
One resident said he doesn’t think the city has a parking problem and opposed any parking restrictions. Others were in favor of paid parking with residents receiving free passes.
Former City Commissioner Ken Bryan encouraged the commission to adopt a paid-parking plan saying Flagler Beach is pretty much the only beach town between Miami and Jacksonville that does not have some type of charge. Bryan said revenue would provide discretionary funds could pay for beach upkeep. He said beach goers bring their own food and drink and park all day long and then leave their trash.
If we’re not going help ourselves, no one else is going to help us.
— KEN BRYAN, former Flagler Beach commissioner
“If we’re not going help ourselves, no one else is going to help us,” he said.
Passport has 800 clients nationwide, said Wells, a regional director of the Charlotte, North Carolina, company. The company's clients include several Florida coastal cities such as St. Augustine, South Miami, Key West, St. Petersburg, Tampa, Sarasota, Cape Coral, Cocoa Beach and Indialantic.
The main benefits to a paid parking system, she said, are increased parking turnover and efficiency. She said there is usually initial pushback from local merchants and residents, but after implementation merchants see increased foot traffic that leads to increased revenues.
“Forty percent of drivers avoid shops where parking is difficult,” Wells said.
With paid parking, more spaces become available which reduces congestion and increase road safety, she added.
The revenue would be reinvested into the community and could fund alternate transportation options, Wells said.
She explained how the Passport app would work. There would also be a guest checkout option though a QR code or a code provided by text for people who do not want to download the app. There would be options to provide different zones in the city with a map on the app. The company has a permitting program for free or reduced passes. It also provides initial signage to the city for the parking areas with information on how to use the app or guest check-in.
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