Gulfport City Council Doubles Parking Fines

GULFPORT, FL – It’s going to cost twice as much for violating the parking ordinance in Gulfport.

Effective immediately, parking fines for the city of Gulfport have increased from $15 to $30 per fine with the exception of disabled parking violations, which remain $250 each per Florida Statute.

On April 3, the Gulfport City Council adopted the ordinance change increasing the parking fines.

The $15 fine was established in 1986. An analysis of fines charged in other local municipalities indicated the $15 fine was far below the average. In fact, Gulfport had the lowest parking fine in Pinellas County.

Since that rate was less than what private lots typically charged for special events, the parking fine wasn’t a deterrent. People chose to pay the city fine rather than pay the higher price to park in a private lot.

A survey of surrounding Pinellas County municipalities showed fines ranged from $25 to $40, with the exception of fire lane violations, which ranged from $40 to $100. The average fine is $26.

While the increase of the Gulfport fine to $30 is above the average, the city council noted that many of the other cities also generate revenue from annual permits as well as parking meters. Gulfport does not have parking meters and does not charge residents for permits.

In 2017, Gulfport Police issued 1,102 parking citations.

Image via City of Gulfport