Watch where you park. The cost of a ticket will be increasing up to 500% soon.
Nothing can ruin a perfectly good day faster than a white parking ticket underneath your windshield wiper. And now, ticket prices are going up, too.
On Oct. 1, Miami-Dade County is increasing parking fines to increase revenue. The higher ticket prices will generate another $4.4 million to $8 million.
The County Commission approved the ordinance late last year in hopes of raising money and cracking down on drivers not complying with parking laws. Supporters of the increase said before the increase, drivers would risk an $18 fine instead of paying the meter in the priciest parking areas. That fine will now double.
While cities set their own parking rates, the fees paid for violations are set by the county. If the violation takes place in a city, the local government keeps two-thirds of the fine. The rest goes to Florida for distribution to local county clerk offices that manage files and scheduling for the court system.
Depending on the parking violation, the ordinance will raise fines 80% to almost 500%.
Here are a few violations that drivers are frequently cited for:
▪ Overtime Parking (expired meter or failed to pay meter): From $18 to $36
▪ Restricted Parking (parking in a residential zone without a permit): From $23 to $36
▪ Freight Loading Zone: From $23 to $75
▪ Passenger Curb Loading Zone: From $23 to $46
▪ Obstruction of Traffic: From $28 to $124
Below is a full list of citation fine increases. Prices that are “>>double arrowed<<” are the new fine prices while those stricken through and “[[double bracketed]]” are the old prices.
While drivers throughout the county will feel the effects of the increases, those in the cities of Miami, Miami Beach and South Miami will see those windshield tickets a lot more.
Those cities had the highest amount of issued tickets in 2018. Miami issued 405,837, Miami Beach 269,997 tickets and South Miami 66,477, according to the county’s Parking Violations Bureau.
Harvey Ruvin, Miami-Dade’s elected clerk court who pressed for the higher fees and administers the ticket-fine system, said the penalties have been so low that drivers found it a good economic move just to risk a ticket.
“It’s been well over 25 years since the fines have been adjusted,” he said. “In Miami Beach, they were opting to let their meter run and get an $18 ticket rather than go into a parking garage and pay $30.”
Miami Herald staff writer Douglas Hanks contributed to this report.
This story was originally published September 25, 2019 at 1:54 PM.
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