Sarasota pauses new downtown parking rules after merchants’ uproar

UPDATED Aug. 4 to CORRECT date that new parking enforcement rules took effect.

SARASOTA, Fla. (WWSB) - Downtown Sarasota’s expanded paid parking enforcement program was temporarily rolled back Monday, as the debate continues to roil between business owners and city leaders.

The Sarasota City Commission voted Monday to repeal the extended times of enforcement for now -- and revisit the issue at the end of the month.

The fines for parking illegally also increased June 29. Those fines will not be rolled back, the city said.

Before June 29, enforcement hours were shorter, running Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Parking on Sundays and city-recognized holidays were free. Parking tickets were also less expensive.

Those rules changed June 29, extending hours of enforcement to midnight Monday-Saturday for on-street parking and charging for parking after 1 p.m. on Sundays.

While some merchants said higher rates and longer enforcement hours are driving customers away, city officials argue the system is working as intended.

To better understand the impact of the city’s parking program, ABC7 filed a public records request examining parking citations, citation revenue and the parking department’s operating budget.

Parking citations and revenue have increased

The records show the number of parking citations issued has steadily climbed over the past several years.

• 2022: Nearly 50,000 citations issued
• 2025: More than 62,000 citations issued
• 2026: More than 48,000 citations had already been issued at the time the records were provided.

Revenue generated from parking citations also increased, rising from about $1.5 million in 2022 to roughly $1.7 million in 2025.

During the same period, the parking department’s operating budget also grew, increasing from approximately $1.6 million to nearly $2.4 million.

The records come as the Sarasota City Commission recently approved expanding paid parking hours and increasing parking rates along Main Street, Palm Avenue and in city garages.

Business owner says parking is hurting downtown

For Katherine Hermes, downtown Sarasota has been the ideal place to grow her business, SRQ Med Spa.

“I love Sarasota. We live in paradise,” Hermes said.

But she believes the city’s expanded paid parking program is discouraging customers from visiting downtown businesses.

“It needs to be rolled back,” Hermes said. “They need to look at where they’re spending their money. How on earth has this department doubled in cost? They need to evaluate how to help the small businesses downtown, not how to tie our hands.”

Hermes said the financial impact extends beyond the city’s parking revenue.

“I’m spending millions of dollars trying to get people downtown, and downtown is fighting me every step of the way,” she said.

She recalled one customer who received a parking citation just minutes after her parking expired.

“I have a brand-new client who came in for the first time yesterday, and she got a parking ticket. She was five minutes late,” Hermes said. “The lady was there and said, ‘Once it’s already printed out, there’s nothing I can do.’”

Hermes worries that experiences like that could keep customers from returning.

Commissioner: The system is meant to pay for itself

Sarasota City Commissioner Liz Alpert, who represents the downtown district, said the parking program is designed as a user-funded system rather than a revenue generator.

“It’s a fund that is supposed to pay for itself. It is a user fee,” Alpert said. “Either all taxpayers pay for it, whether they use downtown parking or not, or the people who actually use it pay for it.”

Alpert also said the paid parking program helps ensure parking spaces remain available for visitors and businesses downtown.

“I don’t think people realize that this parking program has been going on for several years with very little objection to it,” she said.

The debate continues

The public records show parking citations, citation revenue and the parking department’s operating budget have all increased in recent years.

Whether those numbers represent a successful parking program or a growing burden on downtown businesses remains at the center of an ongoing debate between city leaders and business owners.

-- ABC7’s Natalia Kaminski contributed to this report.