ORLANDO, Fla. – News 6 traffic safety expert Trooper Steve Montiero answers viewer questions and shares tips about the rules of the road, helping Central Florida residents become better drivers by being better educated.
Trooper Steve was asked, “Does everyone with a disabled parking permit park for free at parking meters?”
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“This is the type of parking situation most people would never think about unless it applied to them,” Trooper Steve replied. “But it is something we should all be aware of so that we can inform other people of the different possibilities.”
If you are assigned a disabled parking permit in the state of Florida, then you are in luck in this type of situation.
We all know that most parking lots for department stores or grocery stores have available parking for the disabled closer toward the front. But what about street parking?
“How often are you driving within a metro city area and see disabled parking signs where you can just pull off and park? Not very often,” Trooper Steve said. “The good thing is that Florida law allows anyone with a valid disabled parking permit that is assigned to them to park at any street metered parking for up to four hours.”
Florida law also allows cities to create their own ordinances to increase that time.
“Keep in mind, please always have a valid disabled parking permit properly displayed while parked,” Trooper Steve said. “Parking enforcement personnel do not have the capability to simply look up if a vehicle has a permit assigned to them or not. This is the driver’s responsibility.”