Tougher parking enforcement could soon be coming to The Villages.
Nearly 50 Community Development District supervisors gathered Wednesday morning at Savannah Center to discuss new enforcement authority they have been granted as of July 1.
Specifically, they focused on parking enforcement in non-commercial areas including villa roads.
Each CDD in upcoming individual meetings will discuss whether a parking problem exists in its district. They can then decide if they want to flex the muscles granted under the new authority.
District Counsel Valerie Fuchs presented an overview in which she indicated that CDDs could put up signs indicating tow-away zones. A vehicle parked in those locations could be towed away if someone called to complain about a parking violation.
The owner of the towed vehicle would have to contact the towing company in order to reclaim the vehicle. There would be no cost to the CDD, other than signage, as the transaction would take place between the vehicle owner and the towing company.
CDDs would not have to go out to bid to select a towing company. The CDDs could use a towing company already in use by the county.
CDDs would have discretion in how the powers would be enforced within its boundaries. If a villa historically had a parking problem, signs could be put up there but would not necessarily need to go up at a villa neighborhood which supervisors did not think was a problem.
The CDDs would be able to pose time limits such a three-hour limit or prohibiting parking during certain hours of the day.
Fuchs warned that implementation of parking rules could have unintended consequences.
For instance, if a resident was having a holiday party with many guests and neighbors had agreed it was OK, vehicles could still be in jeopardy of being towed if one cranky neighbor complained.
Fuchs also laid out specifics of signage and suggestive supervisors would want to be aware of the impact signs could have on aesthetics.
In 2014, Villager Adrienne Schmitz of the Allandale in Duval said a sign went up a couple of years ago in her neighborhood, indicating that guest parking in the villas is for guests, not owners using the spots as a second driveway
“It helped tremendously,” she said.
However, she said there is still a problem with seasonal residents, who are not owners but are renters. She said they are still abusing “guest” parking.
