FREE PARKING IN DOWNTOWN Lake Worth Beach, a transportation perk enjoyed by residents and visitors for decades, may soon come to a screeching halt.
City commissioners have directed staff to draft a plan to replace free parking with a paid program that would improve the availability of street parking in and around downtown and add millions to the city’s coffers.
“We know this is going to be sort of a jarring piece of news for our residents because they’re not used to having to pay,’’ 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 parking 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.
“This is going to be a big shock to everybody when we have to implement it but we have to take our citizens into account,’’ Resch said.
Commissioners did not say when they’d like to launch the program or how much the city will charge to park. But WGI’s revenue projections for a paid system — $9.6 million over the first years — start in 2026 and call for the creation of parking zones with different fees.
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.
“The city currently is generating nothing (for downtown parking), so it’s hard to increase all the levels of service if you don't have additional revenue,’’ said Interim City Manager Jamie Brown. “If we want to be able to do more things downtown to increase our levels of service, there has to be generation of revenue.’’
Most commissioners sounded like they agreed with WGI’s conclusion that a paid program will boost downtown businesses by improving the availability and turnover of curbside parking.
Now, many prime spots in front of stores are often taken up by long-term parkers.
Many merchants “have told me point blank: The lack of parking is killing my business,’’ Commissioner Mimi May said. “People drive by, they don’t see parking, they don’t know where to park, so they leave.’’
Commissioners indicated they won’t just adopt all of WGI’s recommendations, first made in 2018 and updated in 2022 and 2024. They asked city staff to “be creative,’’ as Resch said, and draft a plan that takes into account downtown merchants and the parking needs of city employees and residents.
“The slower the rollout, the better it's going to be,’’ May said.
The WGI report notes that the planned 268-space K Street parking garage for the Wiener Museum of Decorative Arts will help meet demand for downtown parking but won’t be enough.
“The city is effectively out of parking,’’ the report says. “To provide sufficient space to meet parking demand, the city must both increase inventory by adding new spaces downtown, as well as take proactive steps to reduce current parking demand.’’
A major issue in the paid program will be how far to extend the residential parking zones north and south of Lake and Lucerne. An early suggestion set boundaries from Seventh Avenue North to Sixth Avenue South, but Brown said commissioners might want to start with a smaller area, perhaps three blocks north and south of downtown.
In Pompano Beach, residents can purchase parking permits for $135 a year or $75 for six months, the WGI report said. The report did not mention free residential parking decals.
Also to be considered:
Using a mobile payment service and installing parking meter stations that only accept credit cards and smart cards, but no cash or coins. The consultant's report recommends changing the city’s existing beach parking program to accept only credit cards and mobile payment.
Extending the paid street parking program west of Dixie Highway to the A Street traffic circle.
Designating a section of downtown parking for golf carts and motor scooters.
Brown said the city will host several outreach initiatives to get feedback from residents before finalizing the plan. In October, the city hosted a meeting with businesses and merchants.
“They've gotten used to parking for free. It’s going to be a major shift,’’ he said.
City officials need to emphasize that the program is not just about collecting revenue but “more about the proper management of parking and (how) getting movement and rotation for business will help them in the long run,’’ Commissioner Reinaldo Diaz said.
“I know sometimes it's a hard pill to swallow,’’ he said, “but I think as long as we are clear and stick to that part of the messaging and not just ‘we need your money,’ I think it will help lessen the pitchforks and the torches.’’
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About the author
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, the birth of the Ballpark of the Palm Beaches and Palm Beach County government. For 15 years, he covered the Miami Marlins baseball team. Joe left The Post in December 2020. View all posts by Joe Capozzi.