Palm Beach is expanding paid parking in the Midtown business district to improve the turnover rate of parking spaces.
Starting this week and continuing through October, new parking signs will be installed between Seaview and Hammon avenues, converting free parking to paid, using the ParkMobile app at $5 an hour.
The change is in step with a seven-point plan approved by the Town Council to address traffic and parking challenges in the town.
The town has struggled for years with the slow turnover of free but time-limited spaces in its business districts, especially on Worth Avenue where shop employees would often grab the premium spaces that customers desire.
Visitors to Midtown Beach have also taken spaces intended for shop customers.
At Tuesday’s Town Council meeting, council member Lew Crampton said paid parking will free up more spaces for residents and customers.
“It just makes the whole parking and traffic flow more efficient because it focuses on business,” he said.
Residential Permit Parking in the 100 to 400 blocks between Seaview and Hammon avenues will now be reserved around the clock for residents with the pink, town-issued RPP bumper stickers.
ParkMobile paid parking will be enforced between 9 a.m. and midnight, the town said in a new release.
Residents with the RPP stickers can park in any ParkMobile space for up to two hours free of charge. Information about sticker renewal will be announced in the coming weeks, the town said.
Once the new parking signs are installed on a given street, parking enforcement officers will issue written warnings for one week before transitioning to citations, the town said. Fines are $75 for residential-area parking violations and $60 for commercial areas.
The only free parking will be 15-minute time-limited spaces near the post office at 401 S. County Road and a few 30-minute spaces in front of The Esplanade and near the intersection of Worth and Hibiscus avenues, according to Palm Beach Police Lieutenant Paul Alber.
Take a look at the Town’s “Park in Palm Beach” webpage to learn more about the rollout of the new program.
The town will continue its policy of not charging for parking in the area around Town Hall during public meetings of the Town Council and other town boards, according to Town Manager Kirk Blouin.
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