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Miami Beach elected officials are moving forward with a resident-first approach for towing cars with a built-in warning.
A text notification system is to be set up to notify residents when they’re illegally parked and give them a 15-minute grace period before a car is towed.
“I’m proud to be bringing forward this common-sense solution that ensures that our parking enforcement policies are fair, they’re transparent and ultimately compliance-driven while reducing unnecessary financial burdens on our residents,” said Commissioner Alex Fernandez in last week’s meeting. “The proposal that I’m bringing today, that I’ve called on social media as a text before total notification, it will give residents a 15-minute grace period to correct a parking violation before their car is towed, except, obviously, in a life safety situation.”
Mr. Fernandez said too many residents now return to find their car towed. Last year, “there were about 2,000 residents that had their cars towed in the city of Miami Beach without having had the chance to correct the parking violation. It’s frustrating, it’s costly, and in many cases, it really is avoidable. Ultimately, I really do feel that the goal of parking enforcement should be compliance, not punishment, and I think ultimately that is our overall goal. We are a compliance-driven government.”
The resolution he proposed, said Mr. Fernandez, doesn’t eliminate towing, as it remains an essential tool to ensure city streets are safe and parking is accessible. However, nothing is lost by implementing this policy, he said.
“It’s an opportunity to inform and engage our residents before their car is towed by simply sending a text message providing a 15-minute grace period,” he said. “We can potentially achieve compliance faster than having to wait for a tow truck, while saving residents from unnecessary costs and inconvenience.”
This is a balanced pragmatic approach, he said, that allows the city to maintain the integrity of its parking regulations “while recognizing that sometimes people make mistakes, and when they do, a little notice to our residents can go a long way in ensuring compliance before escalating a situation to a tow. And, most importantly, they still get penalized because, at minimum, they’ll get a parking ticket that is at least $36.”
The proposed resolution, said Mr. Fernandez, gives residents a courtesy notice to move their car “and potentially avoid destroying someone’s day and the inconveniences and the costs that are involved.”
Additionally, he said, the plan incorporates exception. No notifications will be sent for life safety violations such as when a vehicle is parked in fire lanes, bicycle lanes and disabled parking. This type of behavior is not encouraged and will result in immediate towing, he said.
“Public Safety concerns remain our top priority,” said Mr. Fernandez, “but for non-life safety violations – for example, you parked at a valet ramp, or you went into an area that has a residential zone that starts at a certain time and you didn’t realize it or you parked in the wrong zone – you’re usually within a close distance to your car. So, this resident-first approach, it fosters communication, but it fosters compliance.”
The commission memo accompanying the legislation notes there are about 20,000 active registered residents in the city’s parking permit system. Of these, about 16,000 “have provided contact phone numbers, leaving approximately 4,000 registered residents without any registered contact information. For a notification system to be effective, all residents who wish to be notified would need to register in the city’s parking system and provide a contact phone number. The goal would be to create an efficient and resident friendly automated parking notification system that minimizes unnecessary towing while ensuring compliance with parking policies.”
Commissioners were told a robust outreach will seek to ensure every resident signs up and is aware of the notification system.