Longboat aims to fix a fine mess with parking tickets

Not that anyone has successfully accomplished it, but asking for a parking fine to be reduced by the chief of police in Longboat Key won’t soon be an option.

And until May 2, when the Town Commission votes on the "surgical code change" a final time, the stratagem for asking Chief George Turner for permission to pay something other than $75, or up to $225 after 74 days has passed, isn’t likely to be a winning move.

The town is on to you.

The little-known provision in town code, part of changes that in late 2020 raised the base parking fine from $30 and in 2021 set up resident-only parking in Longbeach Village, allowed the chief’s fine reduction authority under a review routinely done with all parking tickets.

Turner ran across the provision several weeks ago and brought it to the attention of the town staff.

"I am embarrassed to say I sat on this commission when we passed this ordinance, and I am disappointed in myself that we didn’t pick this up," Commissioner BJ Bishop said. "Chief Turner, I apologize and thank God you caught it because I can’t think of a much more untenable and uncomfortable position to have a John Doe walk in and say: 'Hey, I just got a $75 ticket. Can you drop it to $10?'"

Police still can nullify an improperly issued ticket, and the town’s code enforcement special magistrate will still hear appeals, though additional penalties can come with a negative outcome in front of the magistrate.

"Is this just parking, or are there other ones people can negotiate? Asking for someone else, of course," Vice Mayor Maureen Merrigan joked.

Town Attorney Maggie Mooney assured commissioners that accrued liens and fines for other code enforcement issues can still be reduced by the magistrate, but "in the parking, traffic context, this is it."

Commissioners voted unanimously to advance the code edit to their May 2 meeting for final consideration.

"The chief does not want to be in that position, I don’t want him in that position, and we prefer not to have that discretion," Town Manager Tom Harmer said.