Downtown Sarasota has a long, back-and-forth history with its position on parking meters – the city has experimented with them as a means of generating revenue several times in the past few decades. Parking meters create an opportunity to collect funds for improving various public features and utilities of Downtown Sarasota, but many business owners believe the inconvenience of needing to pay to park translates into a loss of business.

On Monday, October 16th, city commissioners voted against on-street parking meters, but only for the time being. The commissioners would like to be fully informed of the city staff’s plan for a comprehensive parking system that would include on-street meters, parking garages, and enforcement, before making a decision on whether or not to reject new parking meters. This decision was made after a heated debate between the commissioners, who are struggling to agree on what the best course of action for parking in Downtown Sarasota is.

The completion date for the new parking plan report the city staff will make is still to be determined, and likely will not be available for the commission to review for their next decision until 2018. Until then, the current Downtown parking system will most likely not experience any major changes.

You can read more about the city commissioner’s decision in Zach Murdock’s story in the Herald Tribune.