CLEARWATER -- It has been nearly three months since City Manager Bill Horne directed Clearwater's parking enforcement department to suspend ticketing vehicles displaying a handicap permit while parked at expired meters in the Marina parking lot.
City staffers have spent that time formulating new parking regulations intended to be compliant with state law, and in consideration of the needs of both Marina business owners and handicapped members of the public. The new regulations have been completed and approved by Horne; their enforcement will begin within several weeks with the installation of new signs according to Tracey Bruch, the City's Parking Manager.
One additional Handicapped parking space will be provided in the row of parking adjacent to the Marina building. That space was needed to bring the lot into compliance with ADA legislation according to Bruch, and will take the place of what is now a loading zone at the entrance to the Marina building.
New signage will be posted for the 21 spaces adjacent to the Marina building, limiting vehicles without a handicapped placard or license tag to one hour of parking, and those with handicapped permits to two hours. Horne said that the time limits are consistent with the purpose of those spaces, encouraging turnover for the patrons of Marina businesses. Handicapped users will not be ticketed for parking at expired meters, but will receive citations for exceeding the two-hour limit in either the metered or handicapped spaces.
While some see the new enforcement policy as an improvement for the disabled, Johnny Long, Chairman of the City's ADA Advisory Board, has a different perspective. He is especially concerned that the severely handicapped, those needing vehicles equipped with wheel chair lifts for example, are being discriminated against; "They're acting as if all disabled folks are equal - we're not", said Long referring to the more limited mobility of a wheel chair-bound person. He added that there are too few handicapped spaces on the beach already, and imposing the two-hour limit in the marina is effectively throwing the severely handicapped off the beach.
Long also wonders why his ADA Advisory Committee was not consulted as the new regulations were being devised. "If you have an ADA Advisory Board, and you have these problems, why not involve them?" he asked. Eleanor Breeland, Clearwater's Director of Equity Services, said that she participated in developing the new regulations represented the interests of the disabled community. She added that no one on the ADA Board had contacted her with concerns about the Marina parking issue. But Long said, "Normally we haven't had to call the City to get involved; City departments have solicited our advice."
The new regulations also address use of the 71 spaces designated "Marina Permit Parking Only". Those spaces are intended for use by employees of Marina businesses who hold monthly or annual parking permits, and charter boat passengers who have purchased 1/2 or all-day permits. The City will continue to ticket vehicles parked there without a Marina permit, but will make an exception for those displaying a handicapped permit and having "specialized equipment" such as a wheel chair lift as required by State law. Vehicles with a handicapped permit but without any specialized equipment will be expected to purchase a Marina parking permit.