NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Fla. – The lack of parking has been a hot topic in New Smyrna Beach over the last year, and while a solution is still being discussed, police said they have to start cracking down on the illegal parking.
“We have upwards of $700,000 in unpaid parking tickets here in New Smyrna Beach,” Chief Eric Feldman said.
To put a stop to it in 2024, police are now going to boot and tow cars with three or more unpaid parking tickets. Feldman said many people stay parked well over the time allowed or park in people’s yards or at businesses.
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“There are quite a few people who come to New Smyrna and park here illegally because they had no fear of paying the parking ticket. They never intended to pay it – they weren’t worried about us coming after, them so this is new,” he said.
Part of the problem is a lack of available parking in the downtown areas like Flagler Avenue.
Last year, the city created a Parking Task Force and one of the force’s proposed solutions was to work with private business owners to try and expand parking.
“The city drastically needs to address a parking solution and we are the most immediate one that can solve this problem if we can assemble both pieces of land,” said developer Ignacio Barsottelli.
Barsottelli has an office on Flagler Avenue with much of the office’s land undeveloped. He is proposing to the city to combine his lot and the city’s small parking lot next door off Jessamine Avenue, which he believes would create about 75 more parking spots.
Then, in a second phase of the project called ‘Flagler Commons,’ Barsottelli would build a parking garage surrounded by townhomes and a food court.
“We could accommodate in just one story over 100 cars, and we could do a two-story building that will be hidden by townhomes,” he said.
So far, Barsottelli said they have shown this presentation at a city commission workshop and he will soon present it at the commission’s full meeting.
“We’re designing a way we know would fit perfectly, beautifully, and will improve the walkability in Flagler and the experience,” he said.
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