FERNANDINA BEACH, Fla. — On Tuesday night, the Fernandina Beach City Commission hosted a workshop to discuss potentially establishing paid parking downtown.
One city commissioner tells Action News Jax that the downtown Fernandina Beach area hasn’t had paid parking since the early 70’s. Tuesday’s workshop on potentially bringing that back has some Residents and local business owners feeling uneasy.
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“I think it could be detrimental to our business,” Beth Hickey, owner of The Book Loft, said.
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Beth Hickey’s business has been a staple in Downtown Fernandina Beach for the last 37 years. It was first owned by her father, then her mother, and now it’s been passed down to her. She said one of the biggest conveniences for her customers is the free parking, and she’s worried that implementing paid street parking would interfere with that.
“The convenience of parking is very important, and the tradition of the way the city operates is very important,” Hickey said. “It’s working, and I don’t think we should change it.”
When we asked city commissioners why this was up for a workshop discussion ahead of Tuesday night’s gathering, one replied, saying it was due to “city needs.”
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Tom Martin moved to the area three years ago. He considers paid parking downtown to be an unnecessary expense that would be placed on residents and visitors.
“They just don’t need paid parking down here,” Martin said. “Really distracts from the ambiance and the quaintness of Fernandina. That’s one of the reasons we moved here because it’s not swallowed up by taxes, and that would just be a travesty.”
Action News Jax will keep you updated once we learn more about what comes from tonight’s workshop.
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