- January 21, 2025
-
-
Loading
Loading
Should local commercial fishermen be allowed to park in Volusia County's off-beach lots during overnight hours?
The Volusia County Council may consider a provision allowing licensed fishermen to utilize the county's off-beach lots between the hours of 11 p.m. and 5 a.m. Currently, usage of the lots is prohibited during those hours, an ordinance that has been in place for years, but hadn't affected fishermen until the launch of the county's new paid parking service program.
After hearing from a New Smyrna Beach commercial fisherman at its meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 21, the council moved 4-2 to have staff bring back information in two weeks on the matter, and allow commercial fishermen with a valid parking pass to use the off-beach lots in the interim. County Councilman Danny Robins abstained from the vote, being a commercial fisherman himself.
"In the past, we have allowed commercial fishermen with a license," County Manager George Recktenwald said. "But I don't know the particulars, and I don't know if ... when we put this plan in place, if that was considered or not."
The fisherman, Roy Mattson, told the County Council during the meeting's public comment period that before ParkVolusia, all commercial fishermen needed to use the lots was a placard issued by the county's Beach Patrol.
"You had your placard in the window, they kept on going," Mattson said. "Anybody else, they ran out the parking lot."
The new pay-to-park enforcement, he said, is getting "very aggressive. Mattson said he was fined $35 for parking over the line. When he went to pay the fine, it had doubled, he said.
Under the ParkVolusia program, nonresidents must pay $20 per day to park in any of the county's 65 off-beach parking lots, or purchase a $100 annual pass. Volusia residents can continue to park for free, but must register their vehicles with the county.
Councilman Matt Reinhart said he didn't want any fishermen in Volusia to be negatively impacted as the council waited for information from staff, making a motion to allow them to use the parking lots on a temporary basis.
"I don't want the gentleman or any fisherman out there to lose his livelihood as a result of waiting for information back," Reinhart said.
While Councilman Troy Kent agreed, he said he was hesitant to make changes to the ParkVolusia program without background information. Councilman Jake Johansson echoed similar hesitations.
"There's probably 50 other people at home right now that have a very similar situation, either at a ramp or somewhere else where they do business that requires county property to execute," Councilman Jake Johansson said.
Prior to the start of ParkVolusia — which began charging fees on Jan. 1 — fishermen were not charged to park nor were they impacted by the overnight hours restriction, Recktenwald said.
"They were the ones who were allowed to be out there late and early in the morning," Recktenwald said. "Typically, they go out there, really, before sunup."
Kent said he doesn't disagree that this will be an "easy fix" and that he supports allowing commercial fishermen to use off-beach lots during overnight hours. However, other issues with the program have come up during conversations with Volusia County and Ormond Beach residents — issues such as Seabreeze High School students not finding parking in their school lot, and choosing to park at a beach approach instead, with some being fined for failing to register their vehicles with ParkVolusia.
"So now the students have been for years coming over and taking the parking on the beach ramp, which then takes up anybody's ability to go and access that part of the beach, because the students are using it," Kent said.
But the students are Volusia County residents, he added, so shouldn't they be able to use it?
He also spoke to a business owner who said his patrons have to park on the beach approach, which means visitors have to pay to park to be able to frequent his business. That's not the county government's problem, Kent said.
"There's just so much, I think, where this could go, which is why I like the idea to let staff bring this back in two weeks and let us put a fix in at that time," Kent said.
