Opinion
By Steve Nicklas, 6-30-25
Fernandina Beach city officials have stepped on a hornets’ nest with their paid-parking initiative for downtown. Instead of dodging the bees, city leaders have jumped on with both feet.
This, despite a swarm of opposition from both residents and businesses, of Desert Storm force. And despite a stinging rebuke at a public hearing at City Hall last week. Of 200 people at the political uprising, few supported the parking fees.
Opponents brandished colorful signs, cheered at criticism of the hairbrained idea and jeered at supporters. They stood outside. They packed the inside. They crowded the hallways and stairs at City Hall.
Steadfast, city officials read the room as if blindfolded by greed. After all, the paid-parking scheme is as popular as an oil spill in the Amelia River. Several city commissioners attended the hearing, but hardly paid attention.
One of most outspoken opponents of the money grab, Marisol Triana, is not deterred. “I feel that as long as they haven’t voted, that it’s not a done deal and we’re going to keep fighting,” says Triana, a business owner who wants a referendum by voters.
The public outcry is one of the loudest in 30 years. Locals don’t want a rogue city commission messing with idyllic downtown. Surprisingly, city officials acted nonchalantly during the hearing – even making light of the toxic topic.
A silly slide show at the outset of the hearing (to promote parking fees of course) was ill-timed. In the hardest slap in the face of attendees, city officials reduced speaking time to two minutes, instead of the normal three minutes.
City officials even announced a timeline for instituting the parking grift, having selected several bids from vendors. They appear intent on the idea, with at least three and probably four “yes” votes (only conservative Darron Ayscue dislikes the fleecing). Ironically, several new commissioners campaigned against paid parking but have reversed their positions — Genece Minshew and Joyce Tuten.
Tuten even criticized former commissioners for not “listening to constituents,” according to a questionaire she completed. Minshew was more committed, stating: “I am not in favor of paid parking downtown or at the beach.”
The flawed concept has flopped in many other places. Like in St. Simons Island, like in Dunedin. A former Dunedin resident who moved to Fernandina Beach said the paid-parking scheme there changed the pleasant vibes of the small town.
In some cases, the vendors have been accused of keeping more of the fees than agreed. And nearby Neptune Beach is suffering from a paid-parking nightmare.
To hear city officials say they need the revenues from parking fees for non-urgent projects is laughable. Over recent years, tax revenues have skyrocketed here, but so has the city’s spending.
The city’s biggest financial blunder is overstaffing. In the last 10 years, the city has added 70 full-time employees despite anemic population growth. The city now employs 230 full-time workers, which breaks down to one employee for every 55 residents.
Another complaint from hostile residents is the lack of urgency for the city projects. Tearing down the dock under Brett’s Waterway Café, extending a ridiculous sea wall, including other trivial projects can be delayed until money is available.
City officials have even mentioned borrowing against the parking revenues for these projects. So-called revenue bonds are backed by a stream of revenues. This adds to the city’s debt load, however, costing residents even more.
The meters and signs and complications of the paid-parking debacle will alter the small-town charm of Fernandina Beach. In addition, downtown visitors already complain about the difficulty of finding parking spaces. Tacking on a fee – and potential fines – will compound the frustration. It will become a deterrent for visitors.
There will be about 27 restaurants downtown after Brett’s is closed. However, there are 70 other restaurants on Amelia Island outside of downtown, with free parking. Without the crowding and parking hassles.
City officials must rethink the paid-parking plans. Locals are united and want to avoid a beehive of problems.
Steve Nicklas is a veteran financial advisor and an award-winning columnist who lives and works on Amelia Island.
The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official position of Citizens Journal Florida.
