Smart Drinkers May Soon Avoid Towing Bills In Pasco

NEW PORT RICHEY, FL — People who leave their vehicles behind after drinking too much at Pasco County bars and restaurants shouldn’t have to pay a penalty for making a smart choice.

That’s according to Pasco County Commissioner Mike Moore. He’d like to see the county change its ordinance related to towing to ban tow truck drivers from taking vehicles left overnight in bar and restaurant parking lots. The county’s current ordinance doesn’t prohibit towing companies from doing so.

Moore explained the practice of “predatory towing” was brought to his attention recently. This occurs when tow truck drivers enter bar and restaurant parking lots after hours and remove vehicles that have been left overnight.

“The unfortunate thing is these are folks who probably have too much to drink and they’ve decided to get a ride home from a friend or Uber and they come back the next day and their cars are gone,” Moore told Patch.

Towing can cost motorists $105, plus a $25-a-day fee, under the county’s current ordinance.

While Moore wants to make sure hospitality managers still have the ability to request vehicle removal from their lots, he wants to prevent overnight sweeps prompted by towing companies.

Calling his proposal a consumer protection, Moore pitched the idea to the full Pasco County Commission recently. The change would ban towing of vehicles parked outside businesses that serve alcohol between the hours of 9 p.m. and noon the next day. Commissioners agreed to have county staff create a proposed amendment. How soon a proposed amendment might be ready remains unclear, Moore said.

Other communities across the country have similar measures in place, including the city of Tampa.

“The bottom line is people have decided to do the right thing and they shouldn’t be penalized,” Moore said.

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