Hey, let’s go!
‘Course there’s no place to park, but eventually you can find a spot, usually blocks away from the event on a hot Saturday.
It’s the weekend!
No need to pay the meters right?
Never has been in my memory.
Maybe my memory isn’t what is used to be or maybe we don’t go to St Peterburg enough to know when the parking rules changed. Nevertheless we received a parking ticket.
$25 bucks! So much for the “Free” event!
The card, shown below, that accompanied the ticket was almost apologetic. Kind of an “Aw shucks y’all don screwed up a bit- but we’ll take care a y'all”
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| But Wait - It Gets Better! |
We’d planned to spend some time downtown, grab a bite, shop. Seems we always buy something on excursions like this. That ticket changed my mind – I was PO’d – OK - More than a little, so we left.
Upon returning home and reading my ticket I was surprised to learn we could have our ticket fixed if we’d spent the same amount with a downtown merchant on the same day.
Oh, but that’s not all. You have to present yourself, with a receipt for the bribe, in person in, where else, downtown St Petersburg! – That’s the one in Florida.
OK so now to have my ticket fixed I have to take a day off work, risk another parking ticket in an unfriendly city (Who knows what the rules will be.) and then deal with some bureaucrat. We’re going to pay the fine.
It didn’t ruin our day. Far from it. We went to a friendlier town, Largo, and had a great dinner and movie out. We spent more than the St Petersburg ticket but we had a good time and didn’t have to worry about the parking nazis.
Be warned the City of St Petersburg is running this scam. Might as well deal with the professionals I suppose. This is Florida after all “Land of the Fee and Home of the Bribe”.
Business is hard enough without your city chasing away your customers; However, unless you want to drive, it will be a cold day in a hot place before you see us in downtown St Petersburg Fl.
We need the money to support the Rays, the Pier, BayWalk etc. For 25.00 bucks you could have had 1 or 2 drinks at the Columbia :)
ReplyDeleteI didn't notice the "deal" until we were home. I thought the city's additude was bad - Aren't they supposed to help merchants? This is a poor way of doing so. When did they change the weekend parking rules anyway??
ReplyDeleteThis city has gone above and beyond with parking tickets. I agree with the ever changing rules and the increasing ticket prices. You were lucky enough to get a meter ticket (which for a price can be waived) I on the other hand thought i was safe to park way north on the non-meter parking and got hit with less friendly $25 ticket on a sunday evening at 8pm.
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