Hurricane Irma: Crafty Car Dealer Overtakes Parking Garage For Residents

HOLLYWOOD, FL — Generosity and exploitation are two sides of the same coin in emergencies and natural disasters like Hurricane Irma, which slammed into the Florida Keys Sunday morning and is carving a path along the Florida coast with monstrous winds, storm surges and torrential rains. Consider what happened in Hollywood, Florida, after the city opened its parking garages for people who live in low-lying areas to secure their vehicles.

The garage was full when people began showing up Friday. They found one of the garages had been taken over by a local car dealer who filled dozens of spaces with used luxury cars. Using public property for private gain is against the law, and the city plans to put a “boot” — a wheel clamp that prevents the vehicle from being moved — on as many cars as possible, but only so many are available, a city spokeswoman told the Miami Herald.

It remains unclear who the dealer is and the city said Saturday it would investigate, but was busy with other priorities as it prepared for the arrival of the dangerous storm, which killed 20 people as it tore across the Caribbean. Since making landfall in Florida, three deaths had been attributed to Irma by 4 p.m. Sunday. (For more Hurricane Irma updates and more local news, sign up for real-time news alerts and free morning newsletters, and click here to find your local Florida Patch. If you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app.)

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“This lot was designed for residents as a last resort for those who live on the beach and other areas subject to storm surge, not for a local car dealer,” Raelin Storey told the newspaper.

Cars were double-parked in some areas to increase capacity, but many had to back out of the structure when they found it full.

Photo and video via WLPG-TV