Joe CapozziMayor acknowledges it’s a big change.
Free parking in downtown Lake Worth Beach, a transportation perk enjoyed by residents and visitors for decades, may soon come to a screeching halt, ByJoeCapozzi reports.
What’s happening: City commissioners have directed staff to draft a plan for paid parking that would improve the availability of street parking in and around downtown and add millions to the city’s coffers.
What they’re saying: “We know this is going to be sort of a jarring piece of news for our residents,’’ Mayor Betty Resch said Dec. 3, when the commission discussed recommendations by consultant WGI.
But visitors and residents may not be the only ones reaching into their wallets to park on Lake and Lucerne avenues. There’s a chance residents living on streets close to downtown will have to pay for an annual residential permit to park in front of their homes — a strategy meant to prevent out-of-town motorists searching for free parking from leaving their cars in front of homes north and south of Lake and Lucerne.
Commissioners did not say when they’d like to launch the program or how much the city will charge to park.
- The report suggests hourly rates of $3 on Lake and Lucerne avenues with a limit of two or three hours, and $2.50 on side streets with longer time limits.
What’s next: The city will seek feedback from residents before finalizing the plan.
Read more at ByJoeCapozzi.
Joe Capozzi is an award-winning reporter based in Lake Worth Beach. He spent more than 30 years writing for newspapers, mostly at The Palm Beach Post, where he wrote about the opioid scourge, invasive pythons, and Palm Beach County government. For 15 years, he covered the Miami Marlins baseball team. Joe left The Post in December 2020. He publishes the Lake Worth Beach Independent on Substack, covering the town where he lives.
