Readers are voicing their frustration that Bad Parking goes unpunished here in Florida Friendliest Hometown.
Many are feeling particularly burned by those who flout restrictions on handicapped parking, including the parking zones dedicated and marked for additional room that may be needed for unloading wheelchairs or scooters.
“This is not just about Bad Parking, this is about impeding the rights of the disabled,” said Villager Cindy Tornes. “Having driven a disabled van for a friend with ALS, I am in tune to this.”
Villager Richard Lines is also appalled by the thoughtless people parking in handicapped-designated spaces.
“If they don’t have a handicap license and no handicap sign hanging on the mirror, they should get a ticket,” Lines said. “Why do we have laws and they are not enforced?”
Art Goldenbaum of the Village of Glenbrook agrees that ticketing could serve as a deterrent.
“Perhaps with the cooperation of law enforcement, when ‘Entitled Drivers’ are spotted they could be ticketed, towed and/or have their name and address published for public shaming and humiliation. They deserve no less,” Goldenbaum said.
Two Villagers are facing criminal charges due to recent violent behavior linked to parking disputes. Their arrests may provide a cautionary tale for those tempted to take parking enforcement into their own hands:
• An 80-year-old Villager was arrested after an alleged violent episode in August at a restaurant at Southern Trace Plaza. Don Loftin Jr. of the Village of Tall Trees was charged with battery after he reportedly was enraged and pushed a chemo patient who had parked in front of a Chinese restaurant to pick up a to-go order. Loftin was tracked down thanks to his license plate number. The man who had been attacked picked Loftin out of a photo lineup presented to him by law enforcement.
• A Villager lauded for her efforts to feed the hungry is facing a charge of aggravated assault following a violent dispute over a parking spot at Walmart at Buffalo Ridge Plaza. Barbara McManus 75, of the Village of St. Charles, is facing a charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon after she was out maneuvered for a parking spot by a woman who had gone shopping with a young child. When the woman was walking with her child to the store, McManus allegedly accelerated in her Nissan Rogue and created the fear that they would be hit. McManus also used foul language during an exchange with the woman, according to an arrest report.
