Parking violators in the Town of Lady Lake should take notice. Bad parking will soon come with a penalty.
“Parking violations are a consistent complaint from our residents and a source of frustration for both our residents and our police officers when blatant violations go unresolved,” said Lady Lake Police Chief Chris McKinstry.
The chief has devised a plan to use the Lake County Clerk of the Courts services for parking violation hearings and delinquent collections, thus eliminating the need for a town parking magistrate. The communities of Mount Dora and Groveland already have this relationship with the clerk’s office.
When a parking citation is issued, the violator has the option to pay a fine or request a hearing. If the violator pays the fine within the prescribed time limit, the town retains the fine amount in its entirety. If a violator does not pay the fine within the prescribed time limit, the parking citation is forwarded to the clerk of the court. The clerk’s office charges a statutory fee of $10 filing each case the municipalities send as “default.” A default case would be any case in which a fine has not been paid within the time allotted. To cover the filing fee, an escrow account would be established with the clerk’s office. There is no minimum set amount. The town could start with $100 in escrow. For each sustained violation, the clerk’s office charges an additional $10 fee to the fine amount established by the municipality ordinance. The late fee is assessed to the violator and returned to the town. This return is basically to refund the filing fee.
In the event a hearing officer finds that the town issues a parking citation improperly, the town would be required to pay a $40 fee.
The police department already has software for traffic citations, and therefore the ability to create and print parking tickets on existing equipment at no additional expense.
Town officials met in a workshop session in April which was attended by Villages District Manager Janet Tutt and Villages District Counsel Valerie Fuchs. Parking violations could be enforced throughout the Town of Lady Lake, including The Villages’ sections.
The proposed ordinance was approved by the Lady Lake Commission on first reading on May 1. A second reading will take place later this month.