Local musician tries to stop paid parking ordinance in downtown Panama City

No to paid parking flyers in downtown Panama City.

PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WMBB) — A local musician who frequently plays in downtown Panama City is currently launching a campaign against the implementation of paid parking. He said commissioners should complete the revitalization and then evaluate parking.

This week, Daniel Schultz spoke out against the city’s plan to implement paid parking and asked people to attend next Tuesday’s meeting. He placed hundreds of flyers on cars and in businesses.

“All the free parking at Mosey’s was destroyed and at the same time I drove up to Harrison and it was destroyed all the way down Harrison,” Schultz said. “So if we made all these spots on Harrison pay, where would everyone go? Because I promise you, I just don’t think people will be as eager to pay for a parking meter as they are to find free parking.

Some business owners agree.

“I think we’ll see a decrease in customers at first, the feedback I’m getting from my customers is good, I pay $3 for a hot dog, now I’m going to have to pay another dollar or $2 to get in. said Pamelia Armstrong, owner of Tom’s Hot Dogs.

“It certainly disrupts the atmosphere here to have to go through that and then if there’s not something that meets my employees’ agreements, it comes straight out of their hourly wages or out of my pocket and that’s a important thing to contribute, especially since the city only keeps 40%,” said Judd Manuel, owner of Mosey’s Downtown.

Even at 40 percent, the city is estimated to receive $400,000 in annual revenue from paid parking in St. Andrews and downtown Panama City, which will be used to improve parking.

“I think starting with just someone who would impose a free time limit of two to three hours, or even an hour, would be a great place to start,” said Lauren Stiles, owner of Late Bloomer Flower Shoppe. “I understand there’s a need for change because we’re growing and that’s a good thing, but I think going from zero to a hundred is just too much, too fast.”

But commissioners said without parking meters, they can’t enforce the two-hour parking limit.

“The revitalization is working, we are seeing a resurgence in the city center and St. Andrew’s like we have never seen before, there wouldn’t even be a discussion if there wasn’t something that was really happening in these neighborhoods and so now it’s really how to manage the progress that we’ve made,” said Panama City Commissioner Josh Street.

The final reading of the ordinance is on the agenda for Tuesday’s session.

“I really think there will be more dialogue between now and then and I hope we come to a good policy. If it’s not, then we need to press pause and reset,” Street said.

“We’re hoping to draw a big crowd, so I really can’t encourage you enough, we’d love to see as much local support as possible at this meeting,” Schultz said.

If the ordinance passes, the city will implement paid parking only on streets. They claim that there would still be more than 5,000 free spaces in public parking lots.

Below is a Commissioner Street FAQ.